I would argue that drivers are looking at the ground, at what their headlamps illuminate. Illuminating the ground ahead of you means that drivers can see you be

I would argue that drivers are looking at the ground, at what their headlamps illuminate. Illuminating the ground ahead of you means that drivers can see you before you're actually in front of them. A light that simply dazzles head on doesn't do anything more than a reflector. You can call the idea "stupid" all you want, but unless you have a study, then your argument is no more compelling than that of Effective Cycling's John Forester[1]. That said, I don't think a weird green symbol on the ground is a particularly great solution either. A headlamp with a decent spread aimed slightly at the ground ahead should function just fine as both ground and elevated illumination. [1] Forester's book argues for headlamps aimed slightly at the road ahead as well as bicycle-as-car riding.