BIKE: Re: night time visibility

[dana_price]

Christine,

Thanks for sharing your observations. With daylight wasting time about to
end, it's back to return communting in the dark for many of us. Time to
dust off & charge up those lights and get some new ones!  A work from Mike
Librik on available gear for visibility would be welcome here.

Dana

> Date: Tue, 12 Oct 2004 16:28:55 -0500
> From: "CHRISTINE WILLIS" <chriwill>
>
> I recently started driving more and cycling less (getting old).  Here's
> what I've found:
>
> Those little blinkie tail lights really are not very noticeable unless
> they  are the really big ones ... maybe 5 to 6 inches in diameter. 
Drivers just do not see the small taillights amongst the headlights of
oncoming cars, taillights of cars in front of them, neon signs, red
lights, green lights .... you get the picture.  And when its raining,
all those lights plus their reflections on wet surfaces confuse the eye.
 Also, the reflective bands that many cyclists wear on the backs of
their shirts DO NOT work when they lean forward in a sort of racing
"tuck".  If the reflective bands are aimed at the moon, they are only
going to reflect the moonlight, not the headlights of the cars gaining
on them.
>
> If you're going to ride at night, please wear reflective neon clothing and
> install the biggest taillights you can find.  I am always on the lookout
> for cyclists and it really upsets me when I don't see them until I'm
right up on them because they are not visible enough.
>