I was leaving work – late – the other night in what seemed a normal manner. It was dry and clear, but dark as I’d stayed at work solving a problem (funny how you can be most productive in an office environment when 80% of the rest of the company has already left.) I grabbed my bike off the rack, flicked on the lights (they are nice and bright) and roll out the door.

About halfway home from the office I’ve got this strange feeling something isn’t right. I’m riding on lit streets, but on a whim I put my hand in front of the Planet Bike Blaze 1/2w Headlight mounted on my handlebars. It barely illuminates my palm at 4 inches.  Damn. Dead batteries. While I’m at it I stop and check the tail light. Completely dead. I try to turn it on. Dim light then nothing. Damn. More dead batteries.

Not to worry – I have spares in my backpack.  Hmmm….. my backpack. That would be helpful if I actually had my backpack instead of my messenger bag. Which also means I don’t have a lock for my bike. I’m disinclined to leave my bike sitting outside a gas station store unlocked while I grab batteries, and since I’m about half way home anyhow I decided to just pedal on and get fresh batteries at home.

As I head out, knowing I don’t have any lights seems to created a heightened state of awareness. I look both ways at intersections – about 5 times. I find myself looking over my shoulder a lot more. My hearing seems more acute – I’m conscious of hearing cars approaching from side streets. But then I remember something that I said myself, in a different context, that makes me immediately feel like hypocrite:

If you find yourself riding differently when you are not wearing a helmet then when you are, then you are doing something wrong. If you are more careful, or imagine that you would be, when you are riding without a helmet then you are putting far too much stock in the idea that the helmet will protect you. You should ride with just as much care regardless of what you have strapped on your head. Not only are helmets not shown to offer any real protection statistically, that plastic hat isn’t going to provide any protection against the more common injuries in bike crashes – road rash, broken collar bones, wrists and ribs. Don’t assume your safety equipment will protect you – always operate as if you have no safety equipment. To do otherwise is folly.

At the time I was talking more about bicycle helmets. But here I was, relying on my safety equipment. My 1/2w headlight doesn’t really provide any significant illumination of the rode in front of me as I pedal along at 15-20 MPH. It is there more to make me more visible than to make the road more visible to me.

So why was I riding differently now that I was conscious I didn’t have my bike lights. Why was I paying more attention to the road than the night before when my lights and been (presumably) shining brightly?

Well, frankly, because I was doing the exact same thing I’d advised others not to in my quote above. I was presuming that my safety equipment would protect me in a way that allowed me to relax – lower my defenses slightly.

Shame on me. I’m glad my batteries died that night. I reminded me not to let my awareness dim like my lights did – ever…

Daylight savings time is an odd beast.  I’ve heard several explanations on its origins – ranging from bankers and stock brokers, to farmers wanting their children to be able to get chores in during daylight hours before school, to railroad interests.  Clearly they didn’t consult with bicycle commuters on their opinions, though, as the time shift puts the normal commute home into complete darkness.

It is a very subjective opinion, but city traffic in the mornings seems to be less hectic than traffic on the evening commute.  Perhaps it is because folks are anxious to get home – or to the pub – quickly after work, but not quite so rushed to get to the office in the morning.  Whatever the cause, I much prefer to ride in morning darkness compared to evening darkness.

Anytime you have to ride in the darkness the key is to be visible.  Every state has laws on the books that outline the requirements for lights and/or reflectors that bicycle must have to legally be ridden on the roads in the dark.  Even if not legally required, basic lighting is pretty much a must-have.  While some may debate the safety issues surrounding helmet use, there are no reasonably intelligent arguments about why you shouldn’t have lights on your bike after dark.  That then naturally leads to the questions like “What lights should I get,” “Where on my bike should they go,” “What color should the lights be” and “Should I use a flashing or steady light.”

This article is not intended as a product review, so I won’t go into the question of what light to get.  Also, I’ve talked a lot about where and how to mount lights on your bike before so I’ll leave that topic alone here as well.  The questions of color and flashiness are interesting, though.

Color me blind

It is an interesting and somewhat dangerous fact of human behavior that we tend to become blind to things we see every day.  You’ve probably experienced this when driving a car yourself.  You can follow a car at night for miles and miles and not really be conscious of the fact that their tail lights are on.  However, when those lights suddenly become brighter because they’ve hit the brakes, you immediately (hopefully) notice and take action.  It is the change in state from dim to bright that you really notice, and not the real presence of the light itself.

Unfortunately, except for some specialty devices like the Acclaim system, bike lights never replicate this braking activated behavior.  That means that drivers can easily become blind to the red taillight, or white headlight, that blends in with all of the others on the road.

One way to address this issue that has caught some attention recently is to use a color other than red for the taillight.  While quite possibly originating as equipment for police bicycles, blue tail lights seem to be gaining in popularity.  The common argument is that drivers aren’t used to seeing blue lights in their path and are more likely to notice.  Be careful if you plan to purchase and use one of these, however.  It is quite possible that they may be illegal for road use in your jurisdiction.

Flashing isn’t just for college kids

The other, and frankly more common, approach to this issue is various forms of blinking or flashing lights.  I’m not aware of any jurisdictions where this is illegal.  In fact, I’ve also seen oscillating lights (not flashing on and of, but transitioning from brighter to slightly dimmer) on motorcycle headlights.  (As a side note, motorcycles actually face some of the same traffic dangers that bicyclists do.  They can often be great allies on infrastructure safety issues!)  You’ll want to give this some consideration, however.  Flashing lights – especially really bright white ones in the front – can indeed make you more noticeable.  It can also make it difficult for other drivers and cyclists on the road to accurately judge your speed and distance.  This “strobe effect” is much more pronounced on darker side streets with less ambient lighting from business and street lights.

Choose your path

You can also opt to use the “rode more lighted.”  If available, this can go a huge way towards making your more visible.  Most commonly though it is the busiest streets that get the most street lights.  Or, said another way, the amount of street lighting seems to generally be proportional to the speed and volume of traffic on the road.

Ultimately, you are the one out there on your bike, and thus you are the one with the vested interest in making yourself visible.  Do your homework, read the reviews and tips and know your local laws.

Perhaps even more important that what brand of light you have strapped to your handle bars, however, is to be aware of your surroundings.