The best rear light position

[johnnyb47]

Hi again.
I was wondering where do you think the best position a rear light should be placed on your bike. I personally think on your trusty helmet. As a high mileage driver i often notice rear helmet lights long before seat post / bike frame mounted lights. It think it's because they are more visible being that their higher up and can be seen over a few cars back sitting behind the cyclist. Also and which is more important is that a helmet light appears to move more unpredictably. A cyclists head is constantly turning from side to side looking for hazards as well as swaying from side to side when he/ she is peddling hard..This obviously makes the helmet light move around in an unpredictable manor which catches the attention of the dozy motorist ( "ie me :-).
A helmet light will catch your eye better as it momentarily flashes it's LEDs in its strongest focal point at you grabbing your attention. As there higher up they also don't blend in with other road users lights ,as a seat post light is nearly the same level as most car lights and don't stand out as much..

 

[Drago]

Strictly speaking a helmet mounted light doesn't meet the lighting regs, so only have one up there as a supplementary light.

 

[johnnyb47]

That's a good point buddy. That didn't even enter my head that they may be illegal

 

[Drago]

Probably no one cares, until you get hit and their smart arse lawyer makes a big deal out of it.

 

[fossyant]

You need more than one anyway.

You need a good light on the bike, and maybe a light on the helmet/hair net for the non helmet folks...

Helmet isn't good, as you are turning to look, so the light's intensity varies, and as a driver, you do need at least one fixed point to see. A sole helmet light will get you right in bother if you get in an accident, as the modern legal eagles will try and pull any injury compensation claim to bits if you did not conform to any standard. Been at the sharp end of it a few times.

 

[fossyant]

Cross posts with Drago...

 

[Cuchilo]

You cant miss this bad boy ! https://four4th.co.uk/products/lights/scorpion/ Unless of course you are looking at your phone rather than the road .

 

[Will Spin]

I used to commute by car for 38 miles early in the morning on country lanes and single lane main roads. Cyclists with single helmet mounted rear lights on dark lanes once or twice got me momentarily confused as they seemed further away than they actually were. This is because the light appears higher up in the windscreen, about where you would expect to see a car rear light some distance away.

 

[lutonloony]

Seatpost and rucksack for me, gives the motorist two targets to home in on

 

[Milkfloat]

You cant miss this bad boy ! https://four4th.co.uk/products/lights/scorpion/ Unless of course you are looking at your phone rather than the road .

Or the rider has a long jacket.

 

[Cuchilo]

Or the rider has a long jacket.

Or wearing a kilt .

 

[Slick]

I use a pulsing rear light that emits a side light set on my seat post at the exact same height as my car. I chose that location, as I assumed that if Jaguar engineers thought that it was a good height, who was I to argue.

 

[winjim]

I use a pulsing rear light that emits a side light set on my seat post at the exact same height as my car. I chose that location, as I assumed that if Jaguar engineers thought that it was a good height, who was I to argue.

Exactly. Put your rear light at rear light height.

 

[Reynard]

Got one on my seatpost and one on my lid.

Though have to agree somewhat with OP - when I'm driving, I find cyclists are more visible when sporting seatpost *and* lid lights.

 

[Old jon]

One on the seat stay, one on the saddlebag. Very gently, I cringe when I see anything fastened to a helmet. All that expensive impact absorbing headgear and someone fastens a small hard object to it. About the size of the business end of a hammer. . .