light question

[brise]

https://codes.findlaw.com/tx/transportation-code/transp-sect-547-305.html seems to have most of the restrictions (and you can click the heading to browse the rest of the code) but several only apply to motor vehicles. What are you thinking of doing?

I guess if it's not outlawed then you can do it but you might attract police attention even if they can't ticket you for it.

atleast i will be seen

 

[steveindenmark]

atleast i will be seen

Or abducted by other aliens or UFO spotters

 

[alicat]

I'm not really getting the point of this thread. I doubt that lime green is one of the permitted colours and you did attract the attention of a police officer so it seems to have been causing a problem.

There are also other road users to think about. Yes, you will be seen but if you are dazzling or distracting other road users then personally I would rethink my choices. Spoke reflectors or a light in the shape of a bicycle that projects in front of you could be good alternatives.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

atleast i will be seen

It's not just about being seen but being correctly identified as a road vehicle.

Drivers will see you but will they disregard you as you are not showing conventional lighting? Will you be causing confusion and uncertainty as you approach? You are creating a situation which does not help your or others' safety.

Is there some reason that you don't want to use the conventional colour system?

 

[brise]

in all honesty i dont want to match a motor vehicle because people are careless when there is essentially a rolling shield between them, on a bicycle thats not a possibility, for a while i did use just white in the front and red in the back, sadly people where still getting dangerously close. i prefer having enough light on my bike to where a person driving can clearly see im peddling not driving

 

[brise]

“We need to do all we can to make riding as safe as possible,” said Watson. “And we should do it so that we don’t put riders in a situation where they might be accidentally violating the law. Our laws should be clear so that people know how to comply and officers know what it is they’re enforcing.”

Effective September 1, SB1918 passed to add TRC 547.306 which directly addresses the use of LED lights on motorcycles.

• LED ground effect lighting equipment means light emitting diode (LED) technology that is attached to the underbody of a motorcycle for the purpose of illuminating:
  • The body of the motorcycle; or
  • The ground below the motorcycle.
• A person may operate a motorcycle equipped with LED ground effect lighting that emits a non-flashing amber or white light.

The ability for a motorcyclist to safely use white or amber LED’s is an important factor as the failure to see a rider is frequently stated as a main cause with wrecks involving motorcycles. In fact, according to the 2013 data from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (the most recent numbers available), approximately 25 percent of all fatalities involving a motorcyclist occur between non-peak traffic times of 9:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.


https://www.russbrown.com/blog/led-lights-on-motorcycles

 

[brise]

It's not just about being seen but being correctly identified as a road vehicle.

Drivers will see you but will they disregard you as you are not showing conventional lighting? Will you be causing confusion and uncertainty as you approach? You are creating a situation which does not help your or others' safety.

Is there some reason that you don't want to use the conventional colour system?

if you are ever around my area ill be happy to ride with you

 

[rogerzilla]

UK cars are still allowed yellow headlights or front foglights. I quite like yellow foglights, even though the jury's out on their effectiveness (fog doesn't cause Rayleigh scattering of light, so yellow doesn't penetrate better in a measurable way, but the human eye responds differently to yellow light and it may *apparently* give better penetration and less reflection than white light; a bit like bluish bike LEDs being crap on wet roads when the old halogen lights weren't swallowed up as badly).

 

[brise]

I'm not really getting the point of this thread. I doubt that lime green is one of the permitted colours and you did attract the attention of a police officer so it seems to have been causing a problem.

There are also other road users to think about. Yes, you will be seen but if you are dazzling or distracting other road users then personally I would rethink my choices. Spoke reflectors or a light in the shape of a bicycle that projects in front of you could be good alternatives.

simply put it was a concern the officer had but was not for sure the "legality' of it and i wanted to find out

 

[brise]

I'm not really getting the point of this thread. I doubt that lime green is one of the permitted colours and you did attract the attention of a police officer so it seems to have been causing a problem.

There are also other road users to think about. Yes, you will be seen but if you are dazzling or distracting other road users then personally I would rethink my choices. Spoke reflectors or a light in the shape of a bicycle that projects in front of you could be good alternatives.

also if its so illegal or wrong why are the lights sold in stores like walmart?

 

[rogerzilla]

There are lots of things that are legal to sell but illegal to use, and vice-versa. The law is an ass.

The lights are possibly sold as running/jogging accessories, or generic "safety lights".

 

[brise]

There are lots of things that are legal to sell but illegal to use, and vice-versa. The law is an ass.

The lights are possibly sold as running/jogging accessories, or generic "safety lights".

the ones i buy are specifically for bicycles

 

[boydj]

in all honesty i dont want to match a motor vehicle because people are careless when there is essentially a rolling shield between them, on a bicycle thats not a possibility, for a while i did use just white in the front and red in the back, sadly people where still getting dangerously close. i prefer having enough light on my bike to where a person driving can clearly see im peddling not driving

Reflectors on pedals, shoes or lower legs will show that distinctive pedalling motion to following drivers at night very effectively.

 

[mjr]

also if its so illegal or wrong why are the lights sold in stores like walmart?

Because people buy them. Still doesn't make them road legal. Shops over here sell tons of junk lights, labelled as for bicycles but not enough to meet the law.

Also, showing only green especially seems a bad idea, as green is a go signal to many drivers.

I like the bit about ground effect lights for motorcycles. Not itself, as it seems like victim blaming, but because maybe it can be added to a bicycle to trick motorists into thinking it's a motorcycle. They don't deliberately skim and buzz motorcycles because that'll dent their car in a collision.

 

[Drago]

Texas, eh? Probably safest to have a shotgun shaped light on the rear, and lights arranged to spell NRA on the front.