Dang blinkey tail-lights!

[KnottedYet]

Please, please, if you have one of those rapid-blinking taillights, change it to slow blink or steady glow! I saw one while I was driving, and did what I always do: stared fixedly at it, unable to look away because some primal animal part of my brain was shrieking, "look! look! look!"

Yes, rapid blinks get drivers' attention. Unfortunately, they also HOLD the drivers' attention.

On behalf of all us lower-brain-functioning drivers out there: I beg you to not use the strobe effect on your taillight.

[Dianyla]

I'm fond of the intermittent setting, personally. And yes, that which the driver stares at, the driver may run into.

[maillotpois]

They're super annoying in a group, also. When I was doing the 9 pm - 5 am part of my 600k, the 3 folks I was riding with had the blinkey lights and it really drove me nuts. I was so pathetically grateful to have people to ride with that I didn't say anything, though.

[Eden]

I've never been bothered by blinking tail lights -but yeah I have worried about mesmerizing motorists. Back when reflective paint for fabric was fairly new I had a tee-shirt with it. I was walking across a dark parking lot and this car, I am pretty sure wondering what the heck I was, kept driving towards me instead of avoiding me!

Worse than tail lights though are white blinky headlights on bike trails. I had someone coming towards me with a really bright one attatched to his helmet at around dusk the other day. Darn thing was nearly blinding me. If you use one I would say please point it towards the ground when you are on the trail to avoid blinding the other riders - or better yet if you don't need it to see (it wasn't even nearly dark yet) turn it off when on a trail. It was worse than being high beamed by someone in a car.