Bike Laser Lights for Safety

Are you shopping for a new bike light?  Lights keep getting brighter, cheaper, and more innovative.  My current favorite are the Planet Bike Blaze on the front and Turbo Superflash on the rear.  The reason I like these two are that the lights are easily placed and removed from the bike, they are bright, they use regular/ AA batteries, and they last a long time.  I have been interested in the revo rim lights but have not tried them out yet.  Below are two new ideas in bike lighting that may help with visibility and avoid bicycle vs. motor vehicle collisions. 

Many bicycle vs. motor vehicle collisions involve drivers who "look but don't see" bicyclists. 
About 3/4 of bicycle vs. motor vehicle collisions occur at intersections.  [; ].  Most collisions occur between 7–8 a.m. in the morning and between 4–5 p.m. in the afternoon. A study of bicycle and passenger car collisionsIrene Isaksson-Hellman 2012.  Almost 90% of all collisions occur in urban areas and only 4% in rural areas.  Irene Isaksson-Hellman 2012.  found that inclement weather and darkness without streetlights significantly increase the probability of fatal injury. pointed on that in terms of time of the day and visibility, the most fatal are consequences of crashes that occur at night in places without streetlight.

photo credit http://www.londoncyclist.co.uk
Two new products may help reduce bicycle vs. motor vehicle collisions.  The Blaze Bike Light Laser [above], attaches as a bike head light and projects a laser green bicycle symbol on the pavement in front of the bicyclist.  The product is designed to reduce collisions involving blind spots and look but don't see collisions.  This seems like a great idea as the more visibility the better.  Additionally, the fact that the bike symbol is out of the ordinary/ drivers are not used to seeing it yet, it may have a greater ability to attract attention. 

The second product is another laser but this one projects a bike lane alongside and behind the biker.  The Slancio Bike Laser Beam rear light ($35.99) creates a red bike lane around and behind the bike rider.  If several bikers ride single file with the lights, there is a continuous red bike lane around the group. 

photo credit: http://cjwgo.cafe24.com/ebay/elazer15.jpg
Both lights seem like great ideas and both seem to offer additionaly visibility.  Some online comments pointed out that the Blaze green laser may be the wrong color as most drivers are trained that green mean goes not caution.  Others have commented on various local laws that require certain colors, no flashing, etc.

Whatever you choose to use on your bike, keep in mind that sometimes a distracted driver will not see you no matter what.  If hit by a distracted driver, contact a fellow bicyclist for advice on what to do to make sure you do not get taken advantage of.  Bicycle Injury Attorney Clayton Griessmeyer has experience representing bikers from traffic tickets to permanent brain injury. 

5 comments:

Unknown said...

Those red lazer lane lights are an incredibly good idea! Know if any local shops carry them?

Clay said...

I am not sure about local shops. I want to try these out though.

Sofia Beeby said...

Green laser's a brilliant idea. It's now used in laser machine alignment, and it's undoubtedly going to be precise. Although, I'm also deciding on which color is right. Green is the easiest color in the eyes, and red might confuse drivers. I guess whatever the color is, the drivers wouldn't mistake it for a stoplight anyway.

Sofia Beeby said...

Green laser's a brilliant idea. It's now used in laser machine alignment, and it's undoubtedly going to be precise. Although, I'm also deciding on which color is right. Green is the easiest color in the eyes, and red might confuse drivers. I guess whatever the color is, the drivers wouldn't mistake it for a stoplight anyway.

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