Blinking Bicycle Lamps.

[sandyRoe]

Walking my dog before daybreak this morning I saw two cyclists coming towards me. They had bright flashing lamps on the front of their bikes.
Sometimes a television news report will come with a warning of flashing lights, probably to allow anyone susceptible to epilepsy to take precautions. Could the bicycle lamps trigger an epileptic episode in someone prone to them?

[douglas9401]

It wouldn't matter whether a flashing light triggered and epileptic fit or a nuclear war, cyclists will do what they want and get away with it anyway.

[SlackAlice]

bhg481
Ok, apologies. Missed that bit :(

I use a solid white light to the front and flashing red rear lights (2).

[SlackAlice]

douglas9401

You can say that for all road users as well.

[Khandro]

I concur completely with sqad. There must be a minuscule amount of (unfortunate) people suffering from photosensitive epilepsy and yet every outdoor news item has to be prefaced with the mantra "I must warn you .........flash photography". Perhaps it is unwise for these few to watch the news programmes (they probably don't anyway) there's always the radio.

[gness]

Folk have tried to photograph me, Slack.....but I'm just a well lit blur....☺

[douglas9401]

All except for the getting away with it part, Alice.
Most other road users are identifiable to say nothing of licenced, taxed and insured.

[THECORBYLOON]

Lights, constant or flashing must be approves and according to this site, http://www.ctc.org.uk/cyclists-library/regulations/lighting-regulations , not many are.

[jno]

keep those lights flashing, Gness...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OB6DKpvTIM

[gness]

Fantastic, Jno!.....thank you......☺

[woofgang]

I drive in the countryside quite a bit and find the bright flashing lights not helpful. I find that it makes it much harder to judge how far away the cyclist is and sometimes, on twisty roads, even whether the bike is moving towards or away from me.

[ivor4781]

the front flashing lights grab more attention from drivers who might pull out in front of you they have been proved to be effective in this way

[woofgang]

I’d love to see the research on that.

[ivor4781]

i dont have that difficulty woofgang maybe its just you

[ivor4781]

have you never thought that is why every emergency vehicle plus trucks / forklifts etc in workplaces have " flashing" lights and not static

[bhg481]

And why car indicators changed from steady lights (semaphore indicators) to flashing in the 1960s. The brain is tuned in to notice differences, hence flashing lights catch the attention better. Just look up the sky at night; a passing aeroplane catches the attention far more than a star.

[woofgang]

I am not disagreeing about the catching the attention thing, but with vehicles, there are other bigger and brighter stationary lights that define the shape and direction of the vehicle.
I am not sure why you are getting so defensive ivor, you said something had been proved and I said I’d like to see the research.

[Booldawg]

I have those lights on my bike that are switchable between solid and flashing.

I tend to have them on flash mode when its dawn or dusk as its more noticeable, I doubt the solid mode would be of much use, especially when there are cars behind me with their lights on - I wouldn't be as obvious to cars coming towards me.