Legal Lights

[Slick]

Legal for urban street riding.... Got a Wilco front and back light ,had set both to flashing . Cycling back from work at 11pm the other night ,a police car in the opposite direction slowed down and had a good look at me. I thought they may have been just sussing out who is on the bike. Until I read the Aldi thread today ,I did not realize that not all bike lights were legal ! (and I rode to work almost every day 1994 to 2000 ! ! )

The police would be interested in anything out of the ordinary, and that includes cycling at 11 pm on a Friday night. The truth is, cycling at 11am, fine. Do it at that time of night and it could be some wee junky making his escape after a break in.

 

[PeteXXX]

Devils Advocate here... What if an accident occurs and a legal person says in court "Well, the lights were not legal, so my client should go free as he/she could not possibly have been expected to have seen the cyclist in the dark..."

 

[Milkfloat]

Get yourself to lidl. Their £10 light sets are K marked, legal and knock most of the illegal dazzling shoot into cocked hats.

These ones?

https://www.aldi.co.uk/front-and-rear-led-bike-lights/p/072029062109500

 

[vickster]

These ones?

https://www.aldi.co.uk/front-and-rear-led-bike-lights/p/072029062109500

That's Aldi rather than Lidl?

 

[Milkfloat]

That's Aldi rather than Lidl?

Whoops, wrong German discounter.

 

[keithmac]

Are flashing main lights "legal" then?, been riding fo 10 years or more with no issues using flash mode on various lights.

 

[davidphilips]

there are lots of really good lights available now, to stay legal in the dark is a nightmare far as i know you even need reflectors on your pedals not many road bikes have them, my advice would be buy a reasonable quality set and an extra light for the back you can see if your front light falls off or stops working but your back light not so and its the most important in my view.
http://www.cyclinguk.org/cyclists-library/regulations/lighting-regulations

 

[mjr]

So what makes, lets say a Cat Eye Volt 300, illegal? A light is a light. Unless it is insufficient to be seen, or is excessively bright then what else is there to judge?

It dazzles oncoming drivers unless you aim it ridiculously low. The Cat Eye Volts are especially annoying because they sell the same light with a legal lens as the GVolt, but I guess that's less profitable for them and the UK lighting market is full of masochists who will buy junk and previous purchasers who I guess don't want to be the last person conned.

 

[mjr]

Are flashing main lights "legal" then?, been riding fo 10 years or more with no issues using flash mode on various lights.

Yes, for some time. It's a good idea to keep up to date with the highway code.

 

[raleighnut]

Unless they specifically revise the lighting regulations to remove the acceptability of German lights, yes.

German spec lights are some of the best you can buy.

 

[Pale Rider]

Steer clear of the stupidly bright Chinese lights on ebay and you will be fine.

Apart from being too fierce, most don't throw a beam pattern designed for road use.

My Lezyne lights have proved reliable, so I like them.

But there are other brands as mentioned in the thread which perform equally well.

 

[User16625]

You'd be as likely to get arrested for illegal lighting as I am to become an astronaut.

As long as it's white light to the front and red to rear I don't see many issues occuring.

Thats because common sense is used. However common sense is mostly banned from the roads these days, hence penalties for like 35 in a 30mph bit of dual carriageway, or not being allowed to wade into a pond to save a troubled child. We probably will eventually be harassed over our lights.

 

[steveindenmark]

Lights can be made complicated or simple. I like it simple.

They are there for me to see without burning the retinas out of car drivers, who then, justifiably, full beam me and I also use lights to be seen.

My commute is 20km and its pitch black.

On the front I have 2 Busch and Mueller Ixon premium lights. They were £30 each and were a bargain. I understand £60 for 2 lights is very expensive, but they are worth it. Whats more I am worth it. As a supplementary light I have a helmet light. I think having a light that moves is important as a stationary light can be missed from certain angles or in queues of vehicles if it is low down.

My rear lights are two clip on Smart lights. The bottom one clips to my saddle pack and is stationary. The second one clips to a strap inbetween my shoulder blades on my viz vest and is flashing. Again, having a light higher up gives better visibility.

This is my regular set up and works for me.

When it comes to safety I dont mind spending a few pounds. The important thing is to buy good quality gear to start with and not waste lots of money on cheap Chinese crap and then realise you need good quality gear.

 

[vickster]

The OP says he wants lights for urban street lighting so it won't be pitch black

 

[ufkacbln]

Devils Advocate here... What if an accident occurs and a legal person says in court "Well, the lights were not legal, so my client should go free as he/she could not possibly have been expected to have seen the cyclist in the dark..."

Most "illegal lights" exceed the requirements of RVLR and hence the argument would be laughed out of cour

I was stopped a couple of years ago because "the Inspector wanted a word"

Turns out that he was impressed by my lights and wanted details

Explained about the "legality" and having a set of BS lights, and these were a backup.

He stated that he would not expect anyone to be picked up for these lights, and has now fitted them on to his commuting bike!