Not wanting to be controversial Wayne, but having so much light that car drivers are blinded by the glare is counter productive? If they can't see, they might hit you anyway?
I realise that being seen when commuting is a big thing, but how many of us wear any reflective Hi-Viz when on the road? I don't. Surely if being seen is priority, then lights aren't the main form of defence.
Even if a car head light was on main beam, it wouldn't be enough to distract a driver to drive into you. It would cause them discomfort and may cause them to slow down, but it wont cause them to loose control and drive into you. Is there a bike light brighter than a car head light on full beam?
Picture the scene. Your driving down the road. Your mind is wandering off, your thinking about something at work or maybe what to do for tea, or a better example is when you have driven some where and you think, how the heck did I get here? During that period, you may see the bike but not actually register it. If the bike is standing out differently to a normal bike, like a police bike for example, it makes you look twice and breaks that bit of "not really concentrating properly" and then the bike is registered in your mind.
Obvioulsy you cant have a bike looking like a police bike, so a bike with bright lights on will make someone look twice.
I've noticed a difference in the behavior of drivers since I've had my lights on all the time. I've been knocked off twice and I will do anything I think is best to avoid it again.
I quite often drive with my car/lorry head lights on during the day too, again I do it to get noticed and it works.
And Jon, you wont believe how many people risk their lives by pulling out in front of a lorry. Honestly. "well it's got air brakes aint it, they're really powerfull and stop the truck quickly don't they", yes they do, if I'm empty and I only weigh 15 tonne, if I'm fully loaded and I weigh 44 tonnes, those air brakes are about as powerful as a v-brakes in the wet....
When I commuted, I always wore fluoro and reflective stuff. I had a variety of lights, constant and flashing. I never went for narrow gaps between cars, didn't ride up the inside of slow traffic. And I treated all other road users as if they were morons, which often proved to be correct. It's all about stacking the odds in your favour, especially if you are spending a lot of time on busy roads, which I was.
Anyhow, Wednesday night we rode a cheeky Chinley Churn route which was lovely.
