5 ms·

I wonder about the blinking things that seem to have become fashionable. I rarely drive cars, but when I did, I always found blinking lights extremely distracti

by Tichy 16y ago

I wonder about the blinking things that seem to have become fashionable. I rarely drive cars, but when I did, I always found blinking lights extremely distracting. They make it hard for me to concentrate, to an extent where I wonder if it is still beneficial to the person wearing them. It's fine if a driver notices me, but I want them to still be able to concentrate. People's perceptions may vary here, for example I also have my eyes when they put on the stroboscope in clubs.

chopsueyar 16y ago
I also have my eyes when they put on the stroboscope in clubs. Huh?
- pbhjpbhj 16y ago
  I think he means "It also hurts my eyes [...]"
  - Tichy 16y ago
    I thought I had written "have to close my eyes" but apparently some part of the text got swallowed somehow.
pbhjpbhj 16y ago
>I always found blinking lights extremely distracting. They make it hard for me to concentrate In the UK I don't think flashing lights are allowed on moving vehicles/cycles unless they're emergency vehicles or otherwise hazardous. Lots of cyclists still use them though.
- akadruid 16y ago
  Flashing LEDs on bicycles are legal, as of October 2005, providing they are of a sufficent intensity. The actual law (The Road Vehicles Lighting (Amendment) Regulations 2005) can be read online here: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2005/2559/contents/made http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2005/2559/contents/made
100k 16y ago
Blinking lights are used because they focus your attention on the changing light. So it is working as intended.
- Tichy 16y ago
  I thought the intention would be to not drive over the cyclist.
blasdel 16y ago
In Germany you must by law have front and rear lights with reflectors on your bike, and most are sold with generators to power them. Blinking lights of any kind aren't even legal for sale, much less use. Headlights with round beams are only legal for MTB use, all lights sold have shaped reflectors that place the beam entirely on the road with the brightest portion at the horizon, and a sharp cutoff above that. None of these things are normally sold at all in the US. All red LED rear lights blink violently by default, and even fancy expensive headlights have idiotic round flashlight beams. One man has a US monopoly on importing the German products: http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/lightingsystems.htm http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/lightingsystems.htm — but you can import for less than the wholesale price he gives to shops by buying direct from Germany: http://www.starbike.com/php/product_list.php?prodcatid=37&lang=en http://www.starbike.com/php/product_list.php?prodcatid=37&#3... I own both generations of battery-powerd IXON lights, and a generator-powered IQ Cyo senso plus without reflector. They are amazing — these (and the Schmidt Edelux) are the best lights available by orders of magnitude. Everything else is a piece of shit for road use, even at 5x the price and with brief runtimes on proprietary batteries. They are the best consumer products I own, and I own some fancy fucking shit. I am dead serious. I've ridden 2500+ miles in pitch black darkness in the last year — and these lights have saved my life dozens of times where nothing else would have.

by Tichy 16y ago

chopsueyar 16y ago

I also have my eyes when they put on the stroboscope in clubs. Huh?

pbhjpbhj 16y ago
I think he means "It also hurts my eyes [...]"
- Tichy 16y ago
  I thought I had written "have to close my eyes" but apparently some part of the text got swallowed somehow.

pbhjpbhj 16y ago

>I always found blinking lights extremely distracting. They make it hard for me to concentrate In the UK I don't think flashing lights are allowed on moving vehicles/cycles unless they're emergency vehicles or otherwise hazardous. Lots of cyclists still use them though.

akadruid 16y ago
Flashing LEDs on bicycles are legal, as of October 2005, providing they are of a sufficent intensity. The actual law (The Road Vehicles Lighting (Amendment) Regulations 2005) can be read online here: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2005/2559/contents/made http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2005/2559/contents/made

100k 16y ago

Blinking lights are used because they focus your attention on the changing light. So it is working as intended.

Tichy 16y ago
I thought the intention would be to not drive over the cyclist.

blasdel 16y ago

In Germany you must by law have front and rear lights with reflectors on your bike, and most are sold with generators to power them. Blinking lights of any kind aren't even legal for sale, much less use. Headlights with round beams are only legal for MTB use, all lights sold have shaped reflectors that place the beam entirely on the road with the brightest portion at the horizon, and a sharp cutoff above that. None of these things are normally sold at all in the US. All red LED rear lights blink violently by default, and even fancy expensive headlights have idiotic round flashlight beams. One man has a US monopoly on importing the German products: http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/lightingsystems.htm http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/lightingsystems.htm — but you can import for less than the wholesale price he gives to shops by buying direct from Germany: http://www.starbike.com/php/product_list.php?prodcatid=37&lang=en http://www.starbike.com/php/product_list.php?prodcatid=37&#3... I own both generations of battery-powerd IXON lights, and a generator-powered IQ Cyo senso plus without reflector. They are amazing — these (and the Schmidt Edelux) are the best lights available by orders of magnitude. Everything else is a piece of shit for road use, even at 5x the price and with brief runtimes on proprietary batteries. They are the best consumer products I own, and I own some fancy fucking shit. I am dead serious. I've ridden 2500+ miles in pitch black darkness in the last year — and these lights have saved my life dozens of times where nothing else would have.