Lights On All The Time

A yes, the Daytime Lights
A yes, the Daytime Lights Deniers – quite a few in the UK. Last in the EU to accept lights-on-with-ignition for motorbikes, I think. 40 years after Oz? 30 years after most of the world? No rush. It’s rarely dark here. Just half the year.

And even on a sunny day, that sun rises and sets. And some traffic will be driving directly toward the sun, being blinded, and it will be very, very difficult to see what’s coming at you – or travelling 1.5 metres into the lane on a bicycle, 30 mph slower.

Then there are the places where you’re riding in bright sun, but pass into shade. Where you disappear to following drivers, whose eyes take a few seconds to adjust.

All EU cars now must have daytime running lights (you’ve seen them, the fancy LEDs). It happened years ago in Canada and Scandinavia, but then they are sooo much more northern than Scotland (not).

My understanding is that DRLs were mandated by regulation as it was statistically proven to reduce accidents.

Here in the the UK about 10% of cars don’t even have the intelligence to turn their lights on in the rain. Then there’s the other idiots with the Full Fog effect. Oh well. Me, rear red LED all the time. Front on as conditions suggest.

Simon E wrote:
Lights are NOT

Simon E wrote:

Lights are NOT needed in daylight, whether on bikes, motorbikes or cars. Sadly, that doesn’t stop stupid people using them.

Flashing lights during daylight on a bicycle make perfect sense in many places (tree canopy, shadows etc…)
Sadly some stupid people don’t understand it.

I`ve been intermittently
I`ve been intermittently using lights in the daytime, especially the rear certainly at this time of the year but not the whole year round.
The sun is low & the roads often wet which just produces such a glare that it is difficult to see.

I drive for a living too & it is incredibly difficult at times to see other road users, cyclists included because of these conditions. Having a decent light flashing away obviously helps to make cyclists more visible which can only be a good thing.

Its open to interpretation but I think the highway code states something about putting your lights on in adverse weather conditions. I`d class these sort of conditions as being adverse but I`m in a minority when I`m driving around in the daylight with my lights on.

The glare off a wet road can be blinding even with sunglasses on. For those road users who can`t wear sunglasses & don`t have a light sensitive lens in their specs, it must be incredibly difficult to see

The reason I started riding
The reason I started riding with the lights on all year round – day or night – is because I was on a tree shaded downhill road in the day light, doing about 35pmh . Oncoming traffic a couple of hundred metres away when he gets overtaken by a car…now on my side of road…. in a 40mph zone. He obviously never saw me (or did not appreciate my speed.)

It scared me a bit! As I say, since then, lights on! Simple.

MrGear wrote:OldnSlo wrote:do

MrGear wrote:

OldnSlo wrote:

do it. if you doubt it ask a motorcyclist why their lights are always on.

…because on my BMW motorbike I can’t turn them off!

Some EU law or something.

Yep, my big Suzuki has the same. The old motorbike doesn’t though, as it was made way before that law came out but I ride that with the lights on as well.

I haven’t been using my LEDs in daylight on my bicycles to date but since I’m effectively doing the same thing on my motorbike, it makes sense and I’ll probably start doing so. Recharging the batteries for the LED lights costs so little in any case.

oozaveared wrote:Shep73

oozaveared wrote:

Shep73 wrote:

That said I think it’s a bad idea for cars, at least bikes stood out from other traffic and I would say the new LED daytime running lights on cars are too bright, I have these lights on mine, a pointless idea.

Ok well the brightness is one thing but LEDs are installed is because they don’t draw much power and the bulbs don’t blow. Daytime running lights are very effective at making sure people realise the car is active. There are a large number of low speed accidents that occur where an active car is presumed to be parked. I was whacked probably 20 years ago now. I was waiting for an oncoming vehicle to pass through a narrow gap where other cars were parked, so I was to the left side of the road. A car driver approaching me from behind saw the oncoming car and slowed down but as soon as the oncoming car cleared me the car behind went through the gap at the same time as me. He had basically seen me as being one of the parked cars.

It was all good natured and I saw how that could happen/ what it looked like to him as he approached.

That’s when I started using lights in the day. I also look behind when I am stationary and dab my brakes to make sure approaching cars get a brake light.

The other thing is that you can’t forget to switch your lights on when it does get dark. At least you can be seen.

What amazes me is that they are only enforced on the front of cars, surely daytime running lights should be on the back as well. I know why LED’s are used, (Engineer for Honda Manufacturing:-) ) my main gripe with daytime lights is that bike lights were hard wired with no switch so cars/vans could see them coming, now bikes will just blend in.

I use lights all the time as
I use lights all the time as well. Flashing front and rear. I have always done it on my car as well and now new cars have to have running lights as standard.

Likewise I can see a flashing light a long way off and that alerts me that a cyclist is ahead even if they go round a bend or out of sight between the time I see the light and catching up with them I have already clocked that they are there.

Nice bright rechargeable lights make this a relatively cheap and effective way to improve road safety.

I also happen to be an advanced driver and the mantra of advanced driving is TTR = Time To React. Seeing a cyclist/being seen by a motorist that bit earlier gives them time to react to adjust and to think about passing you safely.

I happen not to wear a helmet (they don’t make you any safer). I am a big fan of visibility as a safety measure . That includes road position, lights hi viz etc.

I would like to reach the situation in the UK where cycling was done in ordinary clothes as per The Netherlands and Denmark but so long as we have to mix with the traffic on faster and country roads without much provision then your best safety measure is being seen as soon as possible.