Motorcycle Visibility

Illumination - To Glow Or Not To Glow

By Loz Williams
2WheelSkool, www.2wheelskool.co.uk, Bradford, Pudsey, and Leeds.

There are those that do and those that don't. Having your lights on during the day. Whatever your opinion you may not have a choice as more and more bikes are coming with their lights hard wired so when the thing is running dip beam is on. This is not legislation it is the manufactures' trying to look safety conscious.

Let's look at the advantages and disadvantages. Well I thought long and hard about this and I can only actually think of a single advantage.

It makes you easier to be seen. Or does it?

I have had a scan at the road bible and as usual the good old Highway Code is a minefield of contradiction. This thing was definitely written by a politician, you can not get a straight answer out of it. Did you know it is not illegal to drive at night without your lights on in a built up area (restricted road is the term). That seems a bit ludicrous to me and the very next sentence states,"use headlights when visibility is seriously reduced". I thought darkness did this. Anyway it seems 100m is the general guide line as to lights on or off. The next rule I found gives guidance saying use dip beam at night in built up areas to be seen. I give up.

So disadvantages.

It drains your battery
It wears your bulbs out quicker
It dazzles people
It increases your mpg
It bakes the dead flies and makes the buggers even harder to get off
It makes you the same as a Volvo drivers 'cos they have their lights on as well
It makes you look bigger (and more scary you intimidating biker). I nearly put this in advantages but realised the anti-bike brigade use this sort of thing against us
It makes it harder to judge your approach speed. Very important
It can give a false signal. Extremely important.

So most of these disadvantages seem fairly innocuous, except the last two. Judging approach speed is quite an important skill and when a headlight is coming towards you the dazzle effect does something to your brain. Rabbits suffer from it too. So that can be one explanation as to why we are being constantly cut up and pulled out on.

The final disadvantage is the scariest and this has happened to me and numerous friends I know. Scenario lights on, bumpy road, stationery car waiting to turn right into a side road across your path. You are sure they have seen you so continue at normal speed when they suddenly turn directly in front of you. Pap time, emergency brake, swerve, crash whatever!

While the priest is administering your last rights the said car driver runs up ranting and raving and tells you it was all your own fault because you flashed him. It has never gone quite that far with me yet or I would not be writing this but I am always very wary of my lights being able to give this false signal of a flash, especially on bumpy road surfaces.

At least the road bible is clear on this one and states you should never assume a flash of a headlight means you are clear to go, so the law may reward you posthumously. The problem is that it is universally accepted that the flash of a headlight means I am giving way to you. There may be a time when it is written into the Highway Code, remember four way blinkers they were only to be used while stationary. Because car drivers began using them on motorways to warn of jams it is now written in as a rule. I don't have the answer and it is purely a matter of choice and I still believe that single advantage far outweighs all the others. I ride with them on.

Loz Williams,
2WheelSkool

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PS A tip from Loz:

.....toilet roll or tissue paper, lay it on your headlight/fairing and liberally soak. Leave 10 mins then wipe off and all the baked flies come with it.

PPS

For readers outside the UK, the 'Highway Code' is a small book published by the UK authorities. Knowledge of its contents forms part of the driving test. Following its advice is assumed by the police and insurance companies. If it can be shown that you did something contrary to the advice in there - you are assumed to be in the wrong.

Translation: motorway = freeway = autobahn