Cyclists without lights

Tilt

Dave_C wrote: »

There is a huge difference between a cyclist with no lights and stopping on that road with all lights and hazard warnings going!
The bend was not that serious- after all it was posted at the national speed limit.

Dave

This is becoming academic.

Cyclist at night with no lights on a unlit dual carriage way with a national speed limit restriction.

Car collides with cyclist as driver did not see him due to no lights and no reflectors.

Police investigate and find that car driver not at fault as it is cyclist at fault.

Case closed.

Lessons learned? I doubt it.

Dave_C_2

Tilt wrote: »

This is becoming academic.

Of course! It's an internet forum. We are entitled to thrash out every little detail . As long as we stay within the forum rules, that should not be a problem. Up to yet it's been mostly polite and reasoned.

Cyclist at night with no lights on a unlit dual carriage way with a national speed limit restriction.
Car collides with cyclist as driver did not see him due to no lights and no reflectors.
Police investigate and find that car driver not at fault as it is cyclist at fault.
Case closed.

Agreed, nobody is contradicting that. We've moved on from there.
We were debating the finer points of whether it was safer to stop at the scene of the accident or wait until the next junction. IANAL but isn't it a legal requirement to stop at the scene of the accident?

Lessons learned?

I and others have said right from the start that cyclists at night must have lights. Number one big lesson from this story.
Dave

vikingaero

mechanic wrote: »

As a driver and now a cyclist as well just started to ride to work, I personally think rear flashing lights on bikes are a hazard. In poor visibility especially rain I've been in a situation where I wasn't sure if I had seen anything. One minute it was there the next gone. My first bike I had two rear lights, one on permanently and the other flashing.

The reason you should have a constant LED and a flashing LED light on your bike/person is that the flashing light gets you noticed by a following driver and the constant light allows the driver to gauge their distance from you. It can be hard for a driver to gauge distance from flashing lights.

Again I agree that the vast majority of cyclists don't have any form of lighting at dusk/night. The only ones that do seem to be the commuters. Cycle lights are sold in Poundland and 99p Shop, are easily removable to prevent theft, and any cyclist who cyles at night without lights should immediately have their bikes confiscated/seized.

in_the_Cotswolds

vikingaero wrote: »

The reason you should have a constant LED and a flashing LED light on your bike/person is that the flashing light gets you noticed by a following driver and the constant light allows the driver to gauge their distance from you. It can be hard for a driver to gauge distance from flashing lights.

I thought just flashing rear lights were illegal. You had to have a constant rear light as well. I'm probably wrong.

But like you have said they are cheap enough so there is really no excuse not to have at least one fitted.

adouglasmhor

mechanic wrote: »

I thought just flashing rear lights were illegal. You had to have a constant rear light as well. I'm probably wrong.

But like you have said they are cheap enough so there is really no excuse not to have at least one fitted.

Law changed years ago, I think I posted a link earlier in the thread.

adouglasmhor

Found it, it's the highway code not the RTA but it gives the gist of it.
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/travelandtransport/highwaycode/dg_069837

Gives the sections for the law though.

rev_henry

vikingaero wrote: »

The reason you should have a constant LED and a flashing LED light on your bike/person is that the flashing light gets you noticed by a following driver and the constant light allows the driver to gauge their distance from you. It can be hard for a driver to gauge distance from flashing lights.

Again I agree that the vast majority of cyclists don't have any form of lighting at dusk/night. The only ones that do seem to be the commuters. Cycle lights are sold in Poundland and 99p Shop, are easily removable to prevent theft, and any cyclist who cyles at night without lights should immediately have their bikes confiscated/seized.

I quite agree. Though actually I don't use two rear lights myself I ride legally.

adouglasmhor wrote: »

Law changed years ago, I think I posted a link earlier in the thread.

2005.

Mindless_Clone

Dave_C wrote: »

There is a huge difference between a cyclist with no lights and stopping on that road with all lights and hazard warnings going!
The bend was not that serious- after all it was posted at the national speed limit.

Dave

No when you're doing 70mph it's not. Well, only inasmuch as you can see in glorious lit up detail what you're about to plough into and might possibly have a chance to swerve and only kill yourself instead of someone else in the inevitable crash.

Not sure what the highway code say about it, but I know I was told, by a police instructor on a driving course, that you should always find a safe place to stop off the main carriageway where possible.

Either way it is academic since the driver of the car obviously felt it was not safe (or necessary) to stop immediately. I hope that nobody here is ever in the situation of having to make that decision in similar circumstances.

adouglasmhor wrote: »

Found it, it's the highway code not the RTA but it gives the gist of it.
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/travelandtransport/highwaycode/dg_069837

Gives the sections for the law though.

Thanks, I hadn't realise the flashing lights were legal now. A case of common sense prevailing. A flashing light is better than no light at all.
Possibly the most useful piece of information in the whole thread.

Idiophreak

Mindless_Clone wrote: »

Thanks, I hadn't realise the flashing lights were legal now. A case of common sense prevailing. A flashing light is better than no light at all.

That's not exactly common sense, though...

A reflector's better than no light at all...So would common sense be to make riding with reflectors only legal?

Billy-no-Money

The batteries in a flashing LED light last for months, whereas if used in steady mode they might only last a few days.

Battery life is the big advantage brought by basic LED lights and flashing makes the most of it. Bike lights can be like smoke alarms; fitted with good intentions but soon forgotten.