"Moth effect" - blinking or steady tail lights?

[Melalvai]

Does anyone know if there's been a controlled study to look at whether it's better to have blinkies & steady lights? The anecdotal consensus seems to be that blinking is best, but that's just everyone's personal preferences or individual experience. I wondered if there's any statistics to back that up.

[Eden]

lol... this isn't for bicycles, but it is a study on steady/flash http://www.lrc.rpi.edu/resources/pdf/iesna01a.pdf

their conclusion appears to be that passing (a snowplow....) is safer when the plow has a steady, but large light (an led bar). They concluded that the standard flashing ambers on their trucks while very visible, made it difficult for drivers to judge speed and distance. Notably a *small* steady light source was no better.

[Owlie]

I split the difference. I have a tail light that has a setting that gives both a flashing and a steady red.

[Eden]

I have a Dinotte..... it doesn't simply ask drivers to move over... it demands they back off.... (honest - the difference when I'm using it is noticeable), but I agree. I use both flashing and steady lights. I like to use multiple head and tail lights in any case as I can't always be sure my batteries will last....

[OakLeaf]

Huh. I couldn't find anything in a quick google either ... any traffic engineers or optometrists here?

It's so commonplace in motor vehicle and traffic applications though. Four way flashers for slow vehicles. Blinking yellow traffic lights at intersections as a warning to use caution. How we all learned in driver's ed to pulse our brakes to alert following motorists when we have to stop or slow quickly but not with absolute maximum braking power. Those new(ish) stop signs surrounded by blinking red LEDs. The way the walk sign starts blinking when it's counting down to red. True, as cyclists we know to be very skeptical of what car people think is safe ... but considering that blinking is what they use to attract each other's attention, I'm inclined to take it on faith.