To hate with a raging passion those flashing cycle lights

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Why in anyone's God's name are those things allowed. They are so bright and distracting that if some one walked out in front of my car I wouldn't see them due to being blinded by an oncoming cyclist with their flashing strobes of death.

Just because they don’t bother you doesn’t mean they don’t others. I’ve nothing against cyclists good luck to them but anyone with stobe light is major issue for many people

Front light constant as I need to see where I am going, rear light flashing as I want cars to see me.

Akire, cyclists are massively outnumbered by all the other vehicles on the road, and not all cyclists use them anyway, so the problem isn't that major

@daisymade

I have one for running, the dogs have them as well. In my defence, we live rurally in the middle of nowhere so I'm pissing of relatively few drivers, but also in my defence most of the people who drive on the roads around here are cockwombles using them as a rat run to the a road or to the pre school and actually they could do with a bit of blinding from time to time.

Do you know why they need to flash? Wouldn’t a very bright constant light suffice?

YABU, you are more likely to notice the cyclist this way which makes it safer. The real light-related scourge is how bright so many modern car headlights are, now that is blinding.

@80sMum yes you are wrong, they are explicitly allowed in the Highway Code but steady lights are recommended in areas without streetlights.

Annoying things that protect people also include rape alarms

@ivykaty44

whats really good about this thread is that it shows they work as you all notice the flashing lights

Yeah, notice them in the same sort of way you’d notice being slapped around the face with a wet fish ie in a way that interferes with driving. So not good.

Those super-bright car headlights are dazzling and they should be banned so people can cycle safely.

But is the issue that they're too bright or that they're flashing?

I do believe there should be a limit to how bright lights are for both cars and cyclists.

Though I really wish some of the kids around here had some lights on as they're bloody reckless.

I have a problem with the extremely bright lights that cyclists use that blind oncoming traffic. Around me cyclists have one on their bike and one on their helmet. Their helmet is just at eye level and these lights are really really powerful. I simply can’t see a thing, it’s very dangerous. They should regulate them - not sure if it’s possible for them to be able to dip in the same way oncoming car headlights dip.

being slapped around the face with a wet fish ie in a way

Should you actually hold a driving licence? If it’s affecting you that much, there are brighter car headlights so how do you cope with those

@Offmyfence

Don't be ridiculous they don't blind you!

I suppose we haven't had a cyclist hating thread for 45 mins, so good to start one,

Yes, they are blinding. And are also epileptic triggering.

Good that your eyes are perfect, others' aren't.

They are so bright and distracting

That's the entire point. They're not distracting you from seeing pedestrians. They're attracting you, and pedestrians, to the fact a cyclist is approaching, which unfortunately too many drivers and pedestrians ignore.

It is concerning that people are driving around in a ton of metal if a small light blinds them or is likely to trigger a medical episode - surely an issue that the DVLA would be interested in for the individuals concerned. A massive danger to themselves and other road users / pedestrians.

@PattyPan

YABU, you are more likely to notice the cyclist this way which makes it safer. The real light-related scourge is how bright so many modern car headlights are, now that is blinding.

@80sMum yes you are wrong, they are explicitly allowed in the Highway Code but steady lights are recommended in areas without streetlights.

Thanks for the clarification: I thought I might be mistaken, as I see so many bikes with flashing lights on them. There are no street lights where I live. I guess under street lighting the flashing lights might not be quite as distracting as they are in pitch darkness.

As the parent of a man who cycles home from work along unlit country lanes at 3a.m. I really don't care how irritating they are to drivers, I'm glad drivers can see them

@ivykaty44

being slapped around the face with a wet fish ie in a way

Should you actually hold a driving licence? If it’s affecting you that much, there are brighter car headlights so how do you cope with those

It’s been pointed out in the actual OP, and repeated since, that this thread is about the flashing, not the brightness. And quote me properly next time without cutting off in the middle of a phrase.

I don't know why everyone is saying they are so bright, I've seen loads (or nearly not seen) that are really weak pulsating small ones. Absolutely not adequate for the job.

Some of the students cycle at dusk or even in the full dark with no lights, so horrible when you can't see them in the rain.

Rain and cyclists' lights are the worst, the pulsating lights aren't very visible in the rain compared with a fixed light.

Strobing lights can fuck up your depth perception making it much more dangerous and some bike lights are incredibly bright and can dazzle you even more so if they’re not mounted correctly and/or are strobing.

My own bike lights strobe as well as having a static setting. The strobe is too bright and would, imo be dangerous to use on a standard road so I don’t.

If it’s visibility you’re concerned about the average U.K. road is usually lit enough coupled with static lights that you’ll be seen but you can also add a light up or hi-vis vest and light up helmet to your kit.

@Bywayofanupdate

As the parent of a man who cycles home from work along unlit country lanes at 3a.m. I really don't care how irritating they are to drivers, I'm glad drivers can see them

Your DS should be using a non flashing light on an unlit road.

Studies have shown that flashing lights are spotted earlier by motorists e.g.

"A 2017 study from Clemson University compared the visibility of flashing and steady rear lights. Using a long, straight road and a curved road, researchers looked at how light choice affected detection distance.

The study found the flashing light was far superior on the straight road, allowing detection of the rider from three times the distance of the steady light. This equated to detection 82m sooner, on average.
Bike lights can help you stand out in a sea of other lights.
Bike lights can help you stand out in a sea of other lights. BikeRadar / Immediate Media

Earlier detection with a flashing light makes sense – research shows our eyes are better at detecting moving or changing stimuli and it seems we can make use of this to be seen from a greater distance when cycling."

I use both steady (mainly to see by at the front) and flashing so I'm visible to other road users. I don't give a flying fuck if people think they are "annoying". If you are annoyed by them that means you've seen them which is the whole point.

@80sMum I think it's less about the impact on motorists and more that if there are no streetlights it's easier to see where you are going with a steady light and not cycle into a ditch!

@CheshireChat

But is the issue that they're too bright or that they're flashing?

I do believe there should be a limit to how bright lights are for both cars and cyclists.

Though I really wish some of the kids around here had some lights on as they're bloody reckless.

An LED light powered by a couple of AA batteries is never going to be bright enough to cause any sort of problems to anyone.

Dickhead drivers happily going around with their fog lights and full beams on without dipping, on the other hand...

@EveningOverRooftops

Strobing lights can fuck up your depth perception making it much more dangerous and some bike lights are incredibly bright and can dazzle you even more so if they’re not mounted correctly and/or are strobing.

My own bike lights strobe as well as having a static setting. The strobe is too bright and would, imo be dangerous to use on a standard road so I don’t.

If it’s visibility you’re concerned about the average U.K. road is usually lit enough coupled with static lights that you’ll be seen but you can also add a light up or hi-vis vest and light up helmet to your kit.

Thank you Evening, someone who actually gets the point about the strobing and isn’t just jumping to conclusions about people being anti-cyclist.

@Newyearoldyou

It's probably not fog lights though, blinding led lights are normal new car lights now.

Yes this is true. Car headlights are overwhelmingly bright. And so are some bike lights. Worse when striving as gives me migraine.