Drivers seeing red?

Kiblams

So the insurance came through and I now have 2 sets of Cat-eye lights, stuck them on the commuter...

Took a look at how they look from the height of drivers in cars and they just look far too bright! My previous lights semed to be diffused by the lenses to make them very visible but not painful to look at, yet these just seem to pierce my retina :shock:

Am I likely to be angering the drivers around me with lights that are too bright? I am considering putting tissue paper inside to diffuse the light. :?

Jay dubbleU

Imagine it on a murky night when its slashing down - brighter is better

prj45

Its illegal to dazzle others with your lights. If you find them too bright (i.e. dazzling) then I reckon you should point them down.

Kiblams

prj45 wrote:

Its illegal to dazzle others with your lights. If you find them too bright (i.e. dazzling) then I reckon you should point them down.

I would do that, but due to the fact that they have zero diffusion they are almost dull unless they are burning your retina...

CiB

Better to dazzle drivers a bit than to have them miss you. The maximum intensity is only present when the driver's eye line & light angle are aligned. I wouldn't worry about it. Better that that drivers (we're all drivers too don't forget) have to deal with short-term discomfort rather than piling into you at 40mph because the faint red glow turned out to be a bike light.

Kieran_Burns

I'm driving at the moment and have been grateful for the brighter lights on those cycle commuters using them.

As above, it's only very briefly and you really know there is someone there when you see them

mrchrispy

when it comes to rear lights on a bike there is no such thing as too bright.

-spider-

Just look at the number of drivers that have their fog lights on with no fog! (It's even worse with no fog and light rain) That must be worse than a bike light that you should be able to pass fairly soon.

Kieran_Burns

Which catetyes are they?

I have the LD1100 and LD610 on the rear of my tricross and am grateful for the light they produce

simon_e

mrchrispy wrote:

when it comes to rear lights on a bike there is no such thing as too bright.

I was going to say the same. Bear in mind that a driver approaching from behind may have other things to distract them - rain, misted-up windscreen, traffic, oncoming headlights.

Example piccy

Also bear in mind that the speed of their vehicle means they need time to see you, testing it in your garage by standing a few feet from the back of the bike is nowhere near the same. To compare it get someone else to ride it in busy traffic (so surrounded by lots of other lights) while wearing dark clothing, and you drive a little way behind.

Kiblams

It isn't the brightness that bothers me, it is the lack of diffusion, so they are realy only visible from one angle and when you can see them, they are blinding!

This morning I have put a single-ply tissue paper between the lense and the LEDS, now they are just as visible without blinding me and they can be seen from more angles

Kieran_Burns they are the Cateye HL130/TL130 and I have two on the front and 3 on the rear.

Soul Boy

You should see the Cateye TL LD610 Rear Light, now thats bright! Have one on my seatpost and it's not only brighter that the last incarnation, but double the battery life.

I also have a TL-LD130 on my bag.

And as far as lights go, I'm in the can't be too bright camp*.

I do however wear dark clothing, just can't stomach hi-viz
:oops:

simon_e

Kiblams wrote:

they are realy only visible from one angle and when you can see them, they are blinding!

A Cateye TL130 is blinding?

Gerraway with you, scamp. Are you looking at it from 6" away or something?

That light is the absolute minimum I'd use for urban night riding. TL600/610 is more like it for commuting, especially on faster roads.

DonDaddyD

After being cut up yesterday and nearly swerved into the day before. I was thinking about putting a light on my helmet that is so bright when I aim it at the driver he'll think he has been stabbed with a lightsaber.

I moan about bright lights on bicycles when I'm cycling but behind the wheel, there is no such thing as a rear bike light being too bright. In fact they all need to be brighter.

tomb353

i've a high power led torch strapped to my helmet which is good for shining into cars. am also experimenting with a flashing blue blike light mounted at the end of my right hand handlebar (asda direct do them), not very birght but flashing blue lights do catch people's eyes.

hells

The use of blue flashing lights is reserved for the emergency services and it is ILLEGAL for you to use them. For some reason steady blue lights are legal. Yes they are eye catching thats why the emergency services use them.

mrchrispy

dinotte 140L rear here....as I may have mentioned on more than one occasion :-)
it's the daddy or rear lights
8)

downfader

Simon, you might want to edit your post as you've put up a library agency picture - we wouldnt want to see the forum get into trouble or debt. :shock:

daveydave43

Depending on where you situated your lights, the dazzlingly clean surface may eventually become dirtier from stuff from the road and rain anyway - so the light may not be as bright as first thought. At least that's what i find - i mount my lights on the seatpost, so they tend to collect rubbish throw up from the rear tyre.

but yeah, brighter = safer.

Kiblams

So the concensus is that an array of 3 (IMO painfully bright) rear lights won't make a driver want to run me down for blinding them?

Maybe I have over sensative eyes? :?

Wooliferkins

prj45 wrote:

Its illegal to dazzle others with your lights. If you find them too bright (i.e. dazzling) then I reckon you should point them down.

If the Police can't deal with the egits who cant turn their front fog lights off when it's not foggy I think you'll be fine.

fossyant

Kiblams wrote:

So the concensus is that an array of 3 (IMO painfully bright) rear lights won't make a driver want to run me down for blinding them?

Maybe I have over sensative eyes? :?

Your lights ain't that bright sunshine, don't worry.

1w Mars 4.0, RSP Astrum (2x 1/2w LEDS) and a Mars 3.0 on the back of mine, and that's bright.

Looking directly at the Mars 4 or Astrum will have you with spots in your eyesight for a while....

Coupled with 2 Hope Vision 1's on the front (480 lumens max) aimed correctly.... oh and a Knog toad as a backup.

Don't worry..... view them from a distance and then think about it.

simon_e

downfader wrote:

Simon, you might want to edit your post as you've put up a library agency picture - we wouldnt want to see the forum get into trouble or debt. :shock:

It's a publicly available watermarked image at Alamy.com. I wouldn't complain if it was one of mine from there. However, discretion is the better part and all that, I'll change it to a link.

Kiblams, try being behind a posh 4x4 with their multi-LED brake lights. Now that's what I call bright.

will3

Presumably those of you who advocate dazzling people with bright lights don't mind when oncomming drivers leave their lights on main beam?

tomb353

sounds like i should leave my blue light on steady; what with my lack of pedal reflectors I am asking for trouble......

CiB

will3 wrote:

Presumably those of you who advocate dazzling people with bright lights don't mind when oncomming drivers leave their lights on main beam?

There's a huge difference between a set of full beam halogen headlights on an on-coming car, and the light generated by two small LED lights each powered by a pair of AAA batteries. Close up the bike lights are v bright esp when viewed straight on, but the light diminishes exponentially with distance, unlike the car headlights.

will3

CiB wrote:

will3 wrote:

Close up the bike lights are v bright esp when viewed straight on, but the light diminishes exponentially with distance, unlike the car headlights.

enlighten me (sorry), why should this be? Cars don't have lasers for headlights!

Kieran_Burns

will3 wrote:

CiB wrote:

will3 wrote:

Close up the bike lights are v bright esp when viewed straight on, but the light diminishes exponentially with distance, unlike the car headlights.

enlighten me (sorry), why should this be? Cars don't have lasers for headlights!

enlighten us yerself I thought ALL waveforms dimished exponentially with distance :P

will3

Kieran_Burns wrote:

CiB wrote:

will3 wrote:

Close up the bike lights are v bright esp when viewed straight on, but the light diminishes exponentially with distance, unlike the car headlights.

enlighten me (sorry), why should this be? Cars don't have lasers for headlights!

enlighten us yerself I thought ALL waveforms dimished exponentially with distance :P

only if there's something to dissapate the energy, or if the "beam" is spreading with distance.
For a laser the first will happen, the second less so since the beam has (or can have) extremely low divergence. But this isn't really my area, so don't take it as gospel!

DonDaddyD

will3 wrote:

CiB wrote:

will3 wrote:

Close up the bike lights are v bright esp when viewed straight on, but the light diminishes exponentially with distance, unlike the car headlights.

enlighten me (sorry), why should this be? Cars don't have lasers for headlights!

Yes they fecking do. In the figurative sense.

I was driving the other day and suddenly the inside of my car lit up. I checked the light in my car and that was off. I then checked myself to see if I was on fire, I wasn't. Then after switching my rear view mirror into the non-dazzle position I realised that the car (old car been modified) behind me had those horrible bright white-white-clear bulbs. Perhaps he was playing starwars I don't know, it was enough to swamp my car. "Red leader was down". I switched my lights off for a second (I know I shouldn't) to see if my lights made a difference to the ilumination ahead of me, they didn't.

This was London, Tooting, there is so much ambient light the sky at night has a hue of orange. I'll never understand why people in London insist on either having their beams on and their lights positioned in the most upright and dazzle position. (Let us leave SMIDSY alone for a second).

To counter the needless use of impossibly bright headlights in London. When I drive to Essex on the other hand there is many a stretch of road around Epping forest that has no lights the World is pitch black yet people only have their beams on when there is no cars approaching them or infront of them and when a car does appear either oncoming or they've caught up to the one infront they dip their lights and turn the beam off.

CiB

will3 wrote:

CiB wrote:

will3 wrote:

Close up the bike lights are v bright esp when viewed straight on, but the light diminishes exponentially with distance, unlike the car headlights.

enlighten me (sorry), why should this be? Cars don't have lasers for headlights!

Easy. Stand in a dark lane and get your mate to drive towards you from ½ a mile away with the headlights on full beam. You'll be dazzled by their brilliance, esp when he gets closer.

Now get him to ride your bike towards you from the same distance and tell me that he dazzling effect is the same with a couple of 3v state-of-the-art torches. It won't be. For most of the eternity that it takes him to reach you, you'll observe nothing more than couple of bright points of light.

It's not a single factor, but a combination of power, distance, & size. 2 big 12v halogen headlights on full beam generate a sight more light than your two bike lights. Like it or not, that's what happens.