Horses and flashing front lights.

[MontyVeda]

I can spot steady lights from a considerable distance. Flashing lights are unnecessary... although i do have one of my rear lights on flash mode if it's hoofing it down with rain.

 

[Sixmile]

[QUOTE 5037725, member: 9609"] as we passed the woman said 'thankyou so much for that' may be she was just thanking me for slowing down but I sort I think she was meaning the light?[/QUOTE]

Or maybe she was talking to the horse?

 

[jefmcg]

[QUOTE 5038150, member: 9609"]I have only had one a week, did't realise there was so much opposition to them, the horse bit seemed a pretty obvious one to me hence why I covered it. However as a driver I think they are brilliant, you spot them in poor light at a considerable distance and know in an instant that its a cyclist.[/QUOTE]
I don't know why I don't like them, I just find them deeply unpleasant. I either turn off or just stop and wait if someone has a light brightly flashing near me. Less likely to bother me while driving, because headlights are typically brighter than even very bright bike lights, so the effected is muted.

Something to think about: could your lights trigger an epileptic fit in someone who was sensitive? That wouldn't be true of a little knog blinky, but a very bright light lighting up the surrounds then darkening then brightening again might.

Usual disclaimer: I don't know enough about photosensitive epilepsy to know for sure if a light is potentially dangerous. Just raising the possibility.

 

[MontyVeda]

There's a cyclist i've passed few times on my way to work who has his front light set to flashing an SOS. Am I supposed to ring mountain rescue or just ignore it?

 

[MiK1138]

As an ex horse owner I can well imagine a horse would not like the strobe light. Why should horses be different to some motorists.

No Way a horse could steer, change gear and text his mate all at once not with those hooves

 

[EasyPeez]

Why should horses be different to some motorists.

Indeed. Both seem comfortable wearing blinkers when on the road half the time.

 

[ozboz]

My GF is a Horse person , I asked her about this , the answer was 'maybe ' some horses spook easily ,

 

[LCpl Boiled Egg]

They annoy the hell out of me but at least I can complain to the cyclist using the bloody thing, unlike the poor horse.

 

[Apollonius]

As far as I know, bike lights are made to be well outside the critical flash rate to disturb epileptics. Not sure about epileptic horses, but from personal experience horses go "Ah, yes, chainsaw, no worries, jog on. Oh my God a crisp bag PANIC!"

 

[jefmcg]

As far as I know, bike lights are made to be well outside the critical flash rate to disturb epileptics.

Google told me that, but then a lot of these very bright lights come direct from China, and do they obey the safety standards?

Edit: from here it seems a legal bicycle light could trigger a seizure. Note - it's a bit contradictory, first saying that bike lights under 4 Hz should be safe, then saying strobe lights under 4 flashes/second (==4 Hz) might still trigger seizures. Oh, and if someone has a strobe flashing around 4 times per second near me, they should be grateful I have no idea how to land a punch, because I would want to punch them.

 

[Ian H]

One winter night I was riding to the pub—no street lighting, no moon. I became aware of a gradually increasing pulsing light. It got brighter until I was seeing the road ahead in stop-motion, whereupon the cyclist with just a stupidly powerful flashing front light passed me. Fortunately I was about to turn off; otherwise I would have had to stop and wait for him to disappear up the road.

 

[Bollo]

My GF is a Horse person , ...

Your girlfriend's a Centaur?!

 

[jefmcg]

Your girlfriend's a Centaur?!

My first read was "My GF is a Horse", so kudos for giving her more humanity than I did.

 

[jefmcg]

Of course there is a link between bright flashing lights and horses: Ecstasy

 

[Katherine]

You only need those bright lights when there are no street lights.
I put my hand over to cover mine when approaching cyclists or pedestrians from the opposite direction. I have often been thanked for doing this.

When a cyclist is approaching me with a poorly positioned or too bright flashing light I have to put my arm up to block it or I am blinded, I often have to stop until they've passed.

I actually find that the flashing lights are extremely hard to judge the speed and distance of the approach.