Nite Lite

[Dauntless]

Been hearing people arguing light requirements here lately. Just looking up California requirements. What do they require around you?

Turn signals aren't required here, unless you go moped.

http://www.bikeberry.com/sunlite-turn-signal-tail-light.html

Lights: At night a white headlight visible from the front must be attached to the bicycle or the bicyclist. CVC 21201(d) and CVC 21201(e)

Reflectors: At night bicycles must have the following reflectors:

Visible from the back: red reflector. You may attach a solid or flashing red rear light in addition to the reflector.
Visible from the front & back: white or yellow reflector on each pedal or on the bicyclist’s shoes or ankles
Visible from the side: 1) white or yellow reflector on the front half of the bicycle and 2) a red or white reflector on each side of the back half of the bike. These reflectors are not required if the bike has reflectorized front and back tires. CVC 21201(d)

 

[amberwolf]

AZ Title 28-817:
http://www.azleg.state.az.us/FormatDocument.asp?inDoc=/ars/28/00817.htm&Title=28&DocType=ARS

28-817. Bicycle equipment

A. A bicycle that is used at nighttime shall have a lamp on the front that emits a white light visible from a distance of at least five hundred feet to the front and a red reflector on the rear of a type that is approved by the department and that is visible from all distances from fifty feet to three hundred feet to the rear when the reflector is directly in front of lawful upper beams of head lamps on a motor vehicle. A bicycle may have a lamp that emits a red light visible from a distance of five hundred feet to the rear in addition to the red reflector.

B. A person shall not operate a bicycle that is equipped with a siren or whistle.

C. A bicycle shall be equipped with a brake that enables the operator to make the braked wheels skid on dry, level, clean pavement.

Note that which "department" is not specified, and there is no list of approved reflectors available from any department that bothers to respond to contacts about that sort of thing. So it is generally assumed (based on contacts with various police deparments) that at minimum a standard commercially-available bicycle reflector is ok, and anything marked as DOT-Approved is "better".


Now, on the red light being visible from the rear, it doesnt' say that it can be visible from a distance *greater* than or *less* than, only "five hundred" feet. It should say "at least" but they forgot that part, where they did include it on the headlight.


It doesn't forbid turn signals or other standard automotive/motorcycle lighting, so that's what I use on my bikes, in addition to the bicycle reflectors, and some white downlighting (and lighting up the inside of the dog crate/kennel on trike and trailer).

The standard lighting helps with communication to other road users, especially with turns and stops. (since almost no one knows what hand signals are, including police officers, who sometimes act as if you are waving at them when in fact you are signalling a turn!).

Some people, like ES member GreenMachine, think that turn signals and other such lighting should be made illegal on bicycles, which is a bizarre way of thinking that I can't understand at all. :/