Blaze bike light
Discussion
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/12/05/life-sa...
Is it just me or is it quite likely a following motorist would be so entranced by the little bike skimming over the floor they would be even LESS likely to see the cyclist?
Is it just me or is it quite likely a following motorist would be so entranced by the little bike skimming over the floor they would be even LESS likely to see the cyclist?
d.Just you.
However, lights vibrate with the road buzz, so I doubt the image would be instantly recognisable, and I don't associate 'green blob' with 'bike'.
Although it would be interesting to see whether there is a statistical difference in 'driver paying attention' levels to different colours of lights. There may, in fact, be a good argument for making all bike lights bright blue...
However, lights vibrate with the road buzz, so I doubt the image would be instantly recognisable, and I don't associate 'green blob' with 'bike'.
Although it would be interesting to see whether there is a statistical difference in 'driver paying attention' levels to different colours of lights. There may, in fact, be a good argument for making all bike lights bright blue...
I think 2 or 3 bright lights on the back and a decent light on the front will always be worth far more thab this idea. Maybe if it projected a bike immediately to the side and about 2 feet out from the cyclist it might create more 'perceived width' and make people give more room but I'm not convinced by it at all at the moment.
I saw a piece about this light a while back. It was more in depth than the one in the OPs link. The light is apparently not about being seen by following traffic, but more to do with casting an image ahead of you at junctions and the like, where a cyclist could find themselves alongside a vehicle, and concealed from the driver's view by a blind spot. By projecting the image ahead, a driver would have an extra opportunity to 'see' the presence of the cyclist, and avoid squashing said cyclist by turning left of right across them. It may be of use in dealing with the blind spots of HGV/LGV/PCV drivers, but doesn't look to be of any use at all for dealing with cars, where the lower seating position of the driver means they wouldn't see the projected image unless it was cast much further ahead of the bike.
It's a decent enough idea, and would make a 'bike bling' gift for the commuter cyclist who has everything, but I personally don't see the need for it. Better all round to improve the cycling skills of those cyclists who can endanger themselves by positioning their bikes in a vehicle's blind spot at junctions. I know that it's not always the fault of the rider when they find themselves in this situation, but I frequently see people who, when on their bikes, whether through ignorance, arrogance, or plain stupidity, put themselves at risk of injury or death at the hands of other road users, by poor road positioning with regard to other traffic.
At it's worst, it might be used as a 'shield' by militant or stupid cyclists, as I reckon the majority of customers would be the less confident riders, or those who've had near misses caused by their own poor riding in the past. If you come to rely on gizmos and gadgets to replace roadcraft, it will drive down the standard of cycling, just as over reliance on ABS/ESP/airbags/safety cells could be argued to have had a detrimental effect on driving standards over the last 25 years or so.
All in all, it's a good idea if it saves even one person from death or serious injury, and I hope it is a success for the sake of it's inventor and investors. Ultimately though, it will be left up to the individual to foot the bill for the device, so there can be no 'hue and cry' by 'persecuted' motorists and 'the squeezed middle' decrying the fact that "once again, the bill to fund unproven road safety schemes has landed on our doormat". If enough of these lights are seen out on our roads, it might just make those ignorant/distracted drivers out there wake up long enough to "Think Bike" for a change, and that can only be beneficial to everyone.
It's a decent enough idea, and would make a 'bike bling' gift for the commuter cyclist who has everything, but I personally don't see the need for it. Better all round to improve the cycling skills of those cyclists who can endanger themselves by positioning their bikes in a vehicle's blind spot at junctions. I know that it's not always the fault of the rider when they find themselves in this situation, but I frequently see people who, when on their bikes, whether through ignorance, arrogance, or plain stupidity, put themselves at risk of injury or death at the hands of other road users, by poor road positioning with regard to other traffic.
At it's worst, it might be used as a 'shield' by militant or stupid cyclists, as I reckon the majority of customers would be the less confident riders, or those who've had near misses caused by their own poor riding in the past. If you come to rely on gizmos and gadgets to replace roadcraft, it will drive down the standard of cycling, just as over reliance on ABS/ESP/airbags/safety cells could be argued to have had a detrimental effect on driving standards over the last 25 years or so.
All in all, it's a good idea if it saves even one person from death or serious injury, and I hope it is a success for the sake of it's inventor and investors. Ultimately though, it will be left up to the individual to foot the bill for the device, so there can be no 'hue and cry' by 'persecuted' motorists and 'the squeezed middle' decrying the fact that "once again, the bill to fund unproven road safety schemes has landed on our doormat". If enough of these lights are seen out on our roads, it might just make those ignorant/distracted drivers out there wake up long enough to "Think Bike" for a change, and that can only be beneficial to everyone.
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