Night Cyclist Visibility: Driver's Eye View

[kfergos]

I haven't driven a car at night in quite a while, but now that it's getting dark out, I have a question for those of you who do drive more often: When you drive by a cyclist out at night, what things are most visible?

I'm thinking from a "what should I invest in more of" perspective: Reflectors everywhere? Or more blinky lights? What's most eye-catching as a driver?

[Biciclista]

both! we have blinkys everywhere AND reflector tape. We bought the reflector tape at a marine supply and put it all over helmets, bike, and bike gear.

And remember, a car's lights aren't always going to be on you, so you must be lit up yourself.

[7rider]

I'd say "both" too.
And, one thing I'm always struck by (not literally!) is how DIM some cyclists' tail lights are. If you are going to put a light on the bike...be sure to check it every so often...make sure it's not obstructed...and make sure it is BRIGHT (replace those batteries if it's getting dim...or get a more modern light that is brighter). DH and I will check lights and reflectivity on the bike in a darkened room (the laundry room or garage, usually), and take spins down the neighborhood street to get a "real road" test every so often.

[kfergos]

I, too, have lots of both. I can, on my own, light up an entire two-lane road, edge to edge.

I'm really more curious what drivers notice as most attention-getting of all the stuff out there. Also, I'll add this question about placement of stuff: Where are reflectors and lights most effective from a driver's perspective?

[Bluetree]

Good lights are worth the investment. I was hesitant to spend the $$$ on a rear Dinotte, but since then I've had tons of cyclists/drivers/peds come up to me and remark how visible I am.



Up front, I have a TriNewt and a Dinotte helmet light for good measure.

The Nathan reflectors work well from the side. I'm less confident about the Lightweights tape/reflectors. I did some experimenting in pitch darkness and they are considerably less visible than the Nathans.

EDIT: Nathan also makes Reflex wristcuffs in the above material that is super-reflective (TE doesn't carry them). They are self-wrapping and have no velcro, which is nice as they don't mess up the sleeves on your jerseys. They also make the L.E.D. bands

[wackyjacky1]

EDIT: Nathan also makes Reflex wristcuffs in the above material that is super-reflective (TE doesn't carry them). They are self-wrapping and have no velcro, which is nice as they don't mess up the sleeves on your jerseys.

I am definitely going to pick up a few of these -- I think they're great.

My morning commute takes place loooong before the sun comes up (4 a.m.) so I am all about nighttime visibiliity. I have a Superflash flasher in the rear, a bright headlight, and reflective stickers galore (on my helmet; on the headset, fork and chainstays of my bike; and on my wheel rims). Plus I have my stinky Illuminite jacket ( ) that lights up like crazy when someone's headlights hit it.

[wildhawk]

Great ideas! I can’t really add much to it as we have reflectors on every thing attached to our bikes, dual bright LED lights, and dual flashing LED taillights, reflectors on our helmets and gloves, etc. I got some great ideas from this thread too - some “goodies” I will be adding to my bike. Working nights, I can tell you that alot of people ride bikes at night and totally disobey the crossing lights - just ride right out in traffic with little or no reflectors or flashing lights of any kind. Total idiots INHO. But there are the ones who commute who make darn sure they are seen by drivers - and late evening riders like my DH and me. DH made a special lightweight horizontal bar that fits to the rear of our rack between the two rear panniers and added dual taillights. The width of the panniers and the dual lights are easily seen and give a wider profile at night. We are of the thought that the more visible the better. We have had riders dash across the street in front our cars where the only thing that shows up is their sneakers and socks!!

[OakLeaf]

Nathan also makes Reflex wristcuffs in the above material that is super-reflective (TE doesn't carry them). They are self-wrapping and have no velcro

I have a similar thing from Adidas. They're convenient to slap over jeans or sweats when I'm riding my commuter a little ways, and they'd probably be okay on the wrists over a LS jersey as long as there's enough length in the sleeves, but they chafe like CRAZY over socks, light arm warmers or bare skin.

They loosen up a bit if you store them snapped flat rather than rolled up, but the edges will still dig into your skin (and I've got pretty small wrists).

[Becky]

Also, I'll add this question about placement of stuff: Where are reflectors and lights most effective from a driver's perspective?

Anything that moves. Wheels, and crankarms are good "bang for the buck" because the movement catches your eye. I have reflective tape all over my crankarms and Lightweights (lightweights.org) on my spokes.

[dachshund]

A red light on the back of the helmet gets my attention, especially if there are cars, etc., blocking my view of the rest of the bike and rider. The reflective strips stand out well. I'm sure the blinking lights get people's attention, but I imagine they're annoying if they're too bright.

[Eden]

One place most cyclists are missing visibility is from the side! I worry a whole lot more about someone pulling into me out of side street than being hit from behind. This year I got some TireSparx - they are blinky LED lights that screw onto your valve stems. They add a lot of side visibility. I gave some to my husband too and he's had several cyclists and even a driver comment about how noticeable they are. Not only that, they are relatively cheap. Two sets, plus valve stem adapters (they come threaded only for schrader valves, so you have to get schrader to presta adapters) cost me under $25 and they each came with an extra set of batteries.

For the past two years I've gotten together with a bunch of other cyclists and we've compared lights/reflectors to see what works and what doesn't. Those Dinotte rear blinkers are very bright! Some of the other things we've determined:

you definitely need both lights and reflectors - reflectors have to have a light shining on them to be seen, lights can be much less effective when there is ambient light (cars and streetlights)

most people have all of their lights down low - having some lighting on your upper body is good too - it gives a better impression of your size and shape to drivers.

Point your headlight at the ground - its no good to blind everyone with it (especially other cyclists...) and the beam on the ground is actually a good cue for others to see you are coming.

Check your LED batteries often - its no good if the blinker is so weak that no one can see it, and make sure you aren't blocking it with your trunk rack, back pack, etc.

white/yellow/light colored clothing really does little to increase your night time visibility - don't rely on it to keep you safe.

oh and one observation I've made recently- I cross a bridge on which the bike traffic goes both ways with auto traffic on my left coming towards me. When cyclists are backlit, they can be very invisible!! even with lighting, though a bright headlight, especially a blinking one, helps a lot. You'll also be lit like this if someone is turning out of a side street - they may very well see the car headlights and miss you in the mix... so be careful when you see a turning car, they may really not be able to see you.

[7rider]

Where are reflectors and lights most effective from a driver's perspective?

Well, not quite a driver's perspective...but speaking from a cyclist riding up a hill a bit behind another cyclist in a residential neighborhood......
The first thing I noticed on this guy was a flashing light on his helmet. It was up high and very visible.

Hmmmm...I just uglied up my helmet with reflective stickers last night...perhaps I'll have to see how I can attach a light to my helmet, too.

[indigoiis]

I got a cheapo hiker's headlamp from Job lot and zip tied it to my helmet for winter - what's nice is when my head moves, the light moves. I also have a headlight on the bike, and a red taillight, and reflective tape all over the place. If I'm going on the long commute, I'll wear a mini mag flashlight on a necklace over my back - it illuminates my high-vis jacket (which has reflective piping) and my bag, which also has reflectors. I also wear reflective ankle straps.

It's still not enough.

But I'll tell you, we drove on Halloween out to Western CT on route 44 - a "country drive" on our way to a b&b weekend. A few country towns were having Halloween events for kids and there were trick-or-treaters all over the place. You just can't see people. They just blended right in with the trees, parked cars, whatever. Put refective tape on your kids' Halloween costumes, PLEASE!

[Eden]

My night commute supplies...
2 valve stem LED's - green
1 red rear flasher/reflector combo
DOT grade red reflective tape on my fender
1 red flasher on my messenger bag
strip of reflective material - bottom of messenger bag
1 white flasher on my messenger bag
1 strip of silver reflective material on messenger bag strap
1 steady white headlight
1 flashing white headlight
1 reflective leg band
reflective material on the heels of my shoes/shoe covers

[PscyclePath]

Motion is the first thing that attracts the eye... We do some night-riding classes as part of the LAB's commuting curriculum, and one of the first things you notice out on the road is the up-and-down motion of things like pedal reflectors, those little reflective ankle bands, and even reflective highlights on the backs of shoes or tights. Not only do these things help a following motorist to see and detect you, but the peculiar motion helps them recognize you as well --- "that's a bicycle." No matter how "dorky" they may look, pedal reflectors and/or ankle bands are Good Things, and I've gotten zealous about using one or the other, or both. My road bike pedals (SPD-SLs) don't have reflectors, so I'm pretty consistent in keeping a pair of the ankle bands in my tool bag for when I'm out after sunset.

Bright lights are excellent... Amber is actually more visible than red, but the law in all states say that you need a red tail light or reflector. Blinking lights add perceived motion to help attract the eye, but motorists can't judge distance well on a blinky light -- having a solid, steady light or reflector back there will help them judge their distance from you a lot better. I've been using two tail lights recently, one a Planet Bike Superflash for visibility and early detection, then a steady red Cateye light for contract.

...and by the way... remember that a significant percentage of us menfolk are red-green color blind. These folks can see the light, but not exactly the color, and may be a little slower on the recognition cycle...

Those reflective vests like the ones used by highway workers help a lot to make a human form stand out, and help others to recognize "bicycle... person!" more quickly than say, those little reflective highlights on the tail and sleeves of bike jackets.

Lastly, a good headlight that will let you clearly see where you're going, and in return, let others see you coming... I've been running a pair of Cateye EL-320s all summer that have been really good lights to see and be seen by; when the DST changed last week I took advantage of a sale at the LBS and invested in one of those new Light & Motion Stella 200Ns. I really like this light... When I run it in "Ninja Detection Mode" (e.g., "high") it's like having a spotlight pointing out there, and still a little over 5 hours of battery life, or drop it down to "low" and it's like my (backup) Cateye, with around 20 hours of battery. It also operates in flashing mode when I want to be ultra-conservative on battery power (~ 80 to 100 hours on a charge) as well as be ultra-obnoxious with the blinky light...)

Tom