WHY FLASHING LIGHTS?

A refrain frequently heard during police or insurance investigations of bicycle or motorcycle accidents is that the driver did not see the victim. The refrain is so frequent that it’s clearly often true. There’s also lots of science to back up the claim. The refrain comes up both in accidents where the victim was hit from the rear, and accidents where the victim was hit head on. Thus, KVC requires the use of both front and rear flashing lights.

BUT WHICH LIGHT?

We recommend that you get exceptionally bright front and rear lights with numerous flashing options. The brightness and flashing modes can then be tailored to the circumstances. For example:

• Busy Road You are on a short stretch of busy road - you’ll obviously want the maximum brightness and the most conspicuous flashing modes.

• Quieter Road You are on a quiet gravel road - you can probably dial the settings down.

• Pace Line You are in a pace line on a road with modest traffic - you may want to use the high brightness settings, but perhaps in a non-flashing mode in order not to distract your fellow riders. Or, the group may have its own preferences.

You constantly adjust your gears in response to the terrain and your speed. We similarly suggest adjusting your lights as the riding conditions change. And as you experiment, get feedback from your fellow riders.

Trek produced an excellent video in 2015 when it introduced the original Flare R model light. It’s still worth watching.