Headlight Modulator vs. Driving Lights

98lee said:

Yes, I recognize that there is the potential for other motorists to not like my headlamp modulator, and potentially react badly to it which might increase my risk, but I think the improvement in my safety due to my increased visibility to all the other drivers out there outweighs that increase in risk, and overall the headlamp modulator improves my safety.

I 100% agree.




...Snippity, snip, snip, snip



Modulators are only one small part of my arsenal to try to increase my odds. But it is just that ODDS. Nothing is 100% effective. Very few things don't have side effects or unintended consequences.

But when your talking having maybe 50-75% of the brain dead people who wouldn't have seen you, actually see you vs. the 1 in a million who tries to hurt you because he DOES see you, I know which odds I'm going to play.

Remember the ultimate choice is up to each individual to do what he thinks will protect him the best. They are only odds, nothing is foolproof (and there are a lot of fools out there trying to kill you).

Click to expand...

I can't agree more with everything you said above. I have direct personal experience of distracted drivers yakking on a cell phone or screwing with their sound systems or whatever being startled by something and jerking their steering wheel to their right away from me. The latest happened just this morning on the way home from work. I'm riding along with the sun off to the right behind me, some guy is about 50 yards away from me in the opposite lane, totally wrapped up in the phone conversation and not really minding where he was going plus drifting to his left when suddenly he looks up and jerks the wheel right.

Is this a bright idea?

Here's what I've been thinking about this topic:

Among gadgets that offer passive accident prevention to riders, some have no proven benefit, and seem to appeal to superstition: for example, loud pipes and deer whistles. Some offer passive accident prevention that has been proven in emergency vehicles (i.e., horns and flashing lights), but their constant use apparently does not increase their benefits. In fact, constant use of a horn or flashing light diminishes its prevention benefits and incidentally annoys others who are not posing accident dangers. Setting aside accident-avoidance devices such as safety training, ABS and stability control, as well as accident-mitigation devices such as helmets, gloves, boots and armor, we are left with reflectors as accident-avoidance devices that work without annoyance or diminishing returns. But reflectors don't work as well in broad daylight as they do when others on the road are using their own lights. So what would help us become more conspicuous at all times with few side effects?

I had a bright idea the other day while riding behind a school bus. In my state, school buses have constantly flashing white strobes mounted on their roof tops, where they do not annoy nearby drivers but do command attention, admittedly along with the size and color of the buses. We have all seen examples of light-colored helmets having slightly better conspicuity. Mine is silver with a reflector on it. Has anyone seen a small strobe, such as bicyclists use, mounted on top of a helmet? Does anyone else think that such a device might increase conspicuity, avoid conflicting with legitimate emergency uses, reduce diminishing effects, annoy others less and, in short, help us avoid accidents? I like this idea much better than headlight modulators, and so will buy a strobe next time I see one. I'll let everyone on this forum know what I think about this device after I try it.

Other than folks thinking you are from Mars, it might work. But after all, the more Martians you see, the more the benefit diminishes..

torags said:

Other than folks thinking you are from Mars, it might work. But after all, the more Martians you see, the more the benefit diminishes..

Click to expand...

There were 1,050 hits on Google for "helmet strobe," mostly about the product shown at

http://www.sparxline.com/

The more there are, the less Martian they seem. Who knows, if everyone has them, like school buses, they might still be effective. At least more effective than what i saw on my ride today: a rider without a helmet on an Old Wing with a flashing headlight, tooling along a 4-lane interstate. The planet that case brought to mind was Uranus.

antaeas said:

There were 1,050 hits on Google for "helmet strobe," mostly about the product shown at

http://www.sparxline.com/

The more there are, the less Martian they seem. Who knows, if everyone has them, like school buses, they might still be effective. At least more effective than what i saw on my ride today: a rider without a helmet on an Old Wing with a flashing headlight, tooling along a 4-lane interstate. The planet that case brought to mind was Uranus.

Click to expand...

Is that where the winners of the Darwin Award are?

Nope, the Darwin awardees are mostly in the cemetary, just with a shorter time between arrival and check out dates than most folks.

Well this has been fun and interesting. You can all call it quits now. You have made me so paranoid and confussed that I sold my motorcycle. I no longer need to worry. I will, however, really try to see you as you ride.

Goodbye folks,
Mike

Just have to throw my 2 cents in.

I hate Headlight Modulators. They are annoying and piss many people off. On the other hand, i also hate idiots that run DRIVING lights all the time. I hate Idots who cannot seem to figure out how to properly aim their headlights, driving lights or fog lights. They annoy during the day and blind at night. Explaining the accident to the officer "Sure I saw them, but they blinded me officer and I could not see them after that. I hit the brakes, but the truck behind me pushed me into the lane that bright lite was coming at me. There was nothing I could do."

If you realy want to be seen, get a top quality set of AMBER FOG lights and mount them properly on your bike. Don't forget to aim them properly. They attract attention, and don't annoy on coming traffic. You never know who you might piss off. It could be another Charlie Manson wantabe.

I was on a U.S. based car forum and some people were discussing the use of modulating headlights on motorcycles. Some of the people were advocating "Aim for the annoying bastards", while others felt like just shooting out the headlight with their trusty handgun of choice. Gee, that would mean that since the modulating headlight got the other drivers attention, it did it's job. But you could still end up dead.

Thirty-two and a half years in law enforcement.

Thirty-two and a half years of sorting out and refereeing road rage.

And not once.....not once, was anybody pissed off at a motorcycle because it's headlight modulated.

If you don't believe in modulators....fine. Don't use them.

But to propose you're at GREATER risk driving around with them activated?!

That's AREA 51 material, along with all other conspiracy theories.

Enjoy Spring.

I never said that the headlight modulators caused road rage. All I said was that some peopel proposed their own method of getting rid of the annoyance. I have no idea if they actually followed through with their ideas. But on the other hand, I have had first hand experience with people that hate morotcyclists just because. Because what? They can't come up with a good valid reason, but they sure hate them. Some of these people have admitted to me that they have purposely driven a little closer to a motorcyclist than they would to a car, because they hoped the motorcyclist would fall and learn a lesson. WTF? I really don't understand that concept, and really don't want to give those types of people any more reason to be further annoyed with me. I have a whole lot more to loose in any altercation with one of them.

You want to ride with a modulator, go for it. It is your choice to make.

I would rather have some properly aimed amber fog lights on my bike. They do the job quite nicely, and have a dual purpose. They allow me to see and be seen a whole lot better in good weather as well as in the rain and fog.

Everytime I see one of those modulating (not flashing) things coming down the road I think, "I'm going to get one of those for my mc 'cause you can see them so far away." I'd sure rather piss off a driver than slam into the driver door of a Taurus...

chilibowlfan said:

Well this has been fun and interesting. You can all call it quits now. You have made me so paranoid and confussed that I sold my motorcycle. I no longer need to worry. I will, however, really try to see you as you ride.

Goodbye folks,
Mike

Click to expand...

Sorry Mike,
I guess everybody would rather argue than answer your question.
Weigh the pros and cons of each and make your own choice.

Don't give up on riding or this forum.

Kevin

Kev95GS said:

Sorry Mike,
I guess everybody would rather argue than answer your question.
Weigh the pros and cons of each and make your own choice.

Don't give up on riding or this forum.

Kevin

Click to expand...

Oh Kevin, I learned about how anal MOA folks can get. Back in '84 when I joined the MOA. I had an R65 at the time. It was the most fantastic motorcycle I'd ever owned. Then I received the Owners News, the R65 was totally trashed as "the worst product BMW ever offered". So I sold it and went to a R100RS. Well 5 years ago I bought a R65LS and it is one wonderful fun ride. That being said, I did sell the bike (R1100RS) I was going to put whatever on. I used the RS for two up touring with my wife, and my friend's accident (we almost lost him but he's doing better now) caused me to think. I accept the risk and responsibility of managing that risk for myself; but, I don't want the responsibility of putting others at risk. So old "YellowBike" is gone and I'm a short distance R65LS rider again at 67 years old. My friend Dave Swisher hasn't found out yet; but, I'll catch whatfor when he does.
Mike