Henri Bergson said "The eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend." Improving visibility enhances the speed at which those around us can comprehend that we are cyclists sharing the road with them and hence avoid our presence.

Optimizing rider visibility is among the most important aspects of getting through a ride safely. This means enhancing your being seen by cars traveling in any direction. In dim lighting, it helps to detect and avoid road hazards. Despite this clear advantage, a 2023 study in Boston of cyclists admitted after crashes to level 1 trauma centers (treating the most severe injuries), showed that 35% of them did not have both front and rear lights, and 25% did not have either. And that those cyclists who had lighting on their bicycles had significantly less severe injuries than those who did not.

Internet chat rooms offer differing opinions as to what is best to improve visibility, and make for interesting reading. Some of these differences arise from the riding patterns of the cyclist. For example, a bright forward-facing helmet mounted light with a wide sweep is recommended for nighttime riding on roads without street lights, but may be too much for oncoming riders/traffic, perhaps even blinding them. This article will focus on road biking in daylight, which comprises the majority of group rides offered by BTCNJ. BTCNJpolicy states "All riders are very strongly encouraged to bring (and use) a rear red light to increase rider visibility and safety."

To blink or not to blink?

Bicycle Insurer Laka has some thoughts on the subject. They say that blinking improves your chances of being seen, but steady lights help others gauge distance and speed better. Opting for lights that combine the two approaches can be the best one. They also suggest considering using lights that have "side spill". Enhancing side illumination is particularly important in the heavily trafficked intersections and rotaries of our riding areas to avoid being hit. 

The Bike Light Database recommends that the blinking and steady lights be separated by distance, to help them from being seen as one light. Plus, putting one steady light on the handlebars and one on the rear of the bike, and the flashing on the helmet will reduce the time it takes to identify the lights as belonging to a cyclist. They recommend keeping forward-facing flashing lights under 200 lumens to prevent blinding/disorientation, since the eyes detect strobes as being brighter than they actually are. Rear lights are typically less bright, and may be used in strobe mode. They recommend using a medium speed pulse mode.

What about daytime use of front lights? A 2012 study in Denmark noted that daytime use of running lights for motor vehicles had a positive impact on road safety and wondered whether the same was true for bicycles. They found a 19% decrease in bicycle accident incidence rates for those cyclists with permanent daytime running lights.

If you do ride at night, at a minimum, you must meet regulatory requirements. New Jersey requires both white front lights and rear red lights, both with 500' of visibility when riding at night. If you are compliant with NJregulations, you have additional considerations when riding in New York. Cyclists on the road in New York must have lights on a half hour before sunrise or a half an hour after sunset plus one of the front or rear lights must be visible from 200'on each side.

REI recommends mounting side safety lights on the spokes, although they can be mounted on the frames. Mounting them on the spokes clearly shows the wheels in motion, decreasing the time to understand they are looking at a cyclist.

Lastly, taking a "belt and suspenders" approach to improve visibility is best. Make sure your lights provide full visibility, but also use lights with reflectors. Increase the visibility of your helmet and or bicycle through the use of reflective tape. Reflective gloves or sleeves will make your turn signals more visible. And pay particular attention as to whether your bicycle is visible from the sides as well as the front and rear, particularly from a regulatory perspective when riding in New York after sunset.