Share Pics of People Hauling or Towing Something Wrong

[EscapedSuburbia]

I’ve seen the idea flashing lights attracting people into actually driving towards them instead of avoiding them debated on a bicycle forum. I ride a bicycle quite a bit and use a flashing light on the back. I hope it helps people see me but who knows. I’ve researched the idea that it may actually make someone hit me instead and never really found a definitive answer.

Specific to bicycles, I've read that flashing lights during the day help with visibility to cars but at night they can actually attract them and cause a crash. I have no idea why or if it's been proven to be true. It might just be internet lore.

 

[Cycledude]

I’ve seen the idea flashing lights attracting people into actually driving towards them instead of avoiding them debated on a bicycle forum. I ride a bicycle quite a bit and use a flashing light on the back. I hope it helps people see me but who knows. I’ve researched the idea that it may actually make someone hit me instead and never really found a definitive answer.

I would say your much safer than the people riding bicycle in the center of the lane with no tail light and wearing black clothes

 

[KennyG]

Old time advice for skiing the woods - Don't look at the trees, look at the space between them.

 

[EscapedSuburbia]

Years ago a coworker asked me to teach him to ride a dirt bike. He was renting a farmhouse on 1000 acres or so of harvested field with a single large tree in the middle. I told him two things: don't shift out of first and don't look at the tree. Guess what two things he did?

 

[Code54]

I’ve seen the idea flashing lights attracting people into actually driving towards them instead of avoiding them debated on a bicycle forum. I ride a bicycle quite a bit and use a flashing light on the back. I hope it helps people see me but who knows. I’ve researched the idea that it may actually make someone hit me instead and never really found a definitive answer.

I am not certain on a bicycle but I can assure you that the light bar on a cruiser causes people to drive right at or into them. Watched it occur several times.

 

[Engineer42]

I am not certain on a bicycle but I can assure you that the light bar on a cruiser causes people to drive right at or into them. Watched it occur several times.

Trouble is, the old 4 bulb 360, or even the Street Hawks didn't cause this as much as all of the LED's they are running today. Just because it's a lower amp draw doesn't mean you need to install all of the "blind me" lights on all 4 corners of the vehicle. That's what take down lights are for.

 

[RandyT]

Specific to bicycles, I've read that flashing lights during the day help with visibility to cars but at night they can actually attract them and cause a crash. I have no idea why or if it's been proven to be true. It might just be internet lore.

What they are referring to is called the moth effect. Normally talked about with Flashing red/blue police/fire lights and DUI.

 

[dodge man]

What they are referring to is called the moth effect. Normally talked about with Flashing red/blue police/fire lights and DUI.

I knew there was a term for it but lighting bug affect came to mind and I knew it was wrong.

 

[garry1p]

There was a federal study some time back where drunk drivers with out realizing it would drive straight into the red lights flashing on patrol cars. After changing to blue there were fewer incidents.

 

[Shawn T. W.]

Quite a lot of police cruisers don't have a blue light on them.