Blinky Lights?

cbjesseeNH

It's starting to be dim when I get out for my 530am constitutional here in Southern New Hampshire. I put a red blinking LED tail-light on and just got a white blinking Cateye front-light.

What do you think of Road ID BrightGear? http://www.roadid.com/brightgear.asp

I'm thinking a blue blinker on top of my helmet as red and white seem all to common on the road. I think it's not legal to put a blue blinker in or on your car or motorcycle, but I'm not sure if the police will be troubled by a little blue blinker on my helmet.

BRET

djwright4341

Check your state laws or call down to the local police station and ask them; use of different colored lights may vary from state to state. Here in KY I believe any type of blue light--blinking or not--is off-limits for use on the roadway, and as an MP in GA we wouldn't even allow the non-blinking lights people put on the hoods of their cars (I'm sure you've seen them on street-racer-type cars) to be blue OR red. Also, I supplement my lights with enough reflective tape to make my bike glow in the dark.

chephy

Well, they are common, but it's good. The road users see a red light - they know someone is riding away from them. They see a white light - someone is approaching. But when they see a blue - what do they make of it? First of all, if a light is blinking, it's difficult to judge the distance and speed of the object it's attached to. It's all right to have blinkies, I think, because they are mostly there to alert the motorist as to your existence, and once he noticed you, he'll have more visual cues (reflectors, reflective stirpes, bright clothes glowing in the headlights of his car etc.) to judge your position and speed accurately. But it helps to use the standard colours so that the motorist knows if you are moving in the opposite or the same direction as he. Using other colours or using red in front and white in back, I think, can be confusing.

White in front is good for another reason - it's just brighter, other things being equal. So I'd just stick with a standard combination. But if you want a blue light - well, ask the police in your area. The laws are different everywhere.

dannomyte

Did you find anything out about the blue blinky lights? Are they legal? Have they improved your visibility?

I have recently added a red blinky light to my seatpost and I couldn't believe how much more respect I am getting from the traffic around me. It seems that by increasing my visibility, drivers have less agression towards me since I am not surprising them at the last minute. I am really curious to know if you've had success in exploring your blue light idea... If it's helped your visibility, I'd take the risk legally..

cbjesseeNH

Blue Light law in NH appears specifically limited to motor vehicles. I have a red blinking reflector on my seatpost and a white blinking headlight. I haven't gotten the blue top blinker yet, but it's on my list.

Steve_in_NH

Blinky lights are bad. There's a reason parked police cars get hit more often than regular cars. Drunks are attracted to blinky stuff (International Chiefs Of Police Assoc. did a study on that). You will start to notice police cars using constant blue lights once pulled over.

You want to be obviously visible, but not interesting. So please get the brightest tail light you can find and put it in constant mode.

Allow me to demonstrate.

Flatscan

I've read about a guy being issued a ticket in WA for a light on his motorized wheelchair. It was something minor, a color facing the wrong way (e.g. white facing back) or a small blue light. The judge threw the ticket out.

Blue is more uncommon and "interesting", but less bright. I would choose cyan, green, or yellow for a compromise between brightness and uniqueness.

dannomyte

Did the study you talk about also look at sober drivers? I suspect the results would have been the same, and as such, is testament to the fact that blinky lights are BETTER at being noticed.

I'm not really sure how blinding someone is better?