LIGHTS

During police or insurance investigations of bicycle or motorcycle accidents, the driver often claims they didn't see the victim. The claim is asserted 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 front and rear lights on rides.

BUT WHICH LIGHT AND WHAT SETTING?

We suggest that you get bright lights with multiple steady and flashing options that can be tailored to the circumstances. For example:

• Busy Road You are on a short stretch of busy road - you’ll usually 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.

• Nighttime During nighttime riding, you should generally set the front light to steady mode in order to see the road ahead, and also not to confuse approaching drivers. Depending on where you are (e.g., city or country), you may also want to set the rear light to steady mode.

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.