AUX LIGHTS - The Dangers!

[Backmarker]

So none of you guys actually filter at night ??
I fitted aux lights because when filtering (even on my side of the road on relatively narrow roads) oncoming traffic seemed not to be able to understand that my bike was 'wider' than the central (ish) headlight. This led to numerous near misses (last minute swerves) as the oncoming donkey suddenly realised that the bike had cylinders etc.
That said, I have Hella DLs mounted on light bars under the beak, 12 orange LEDs in each handguard, and 18 red flashing LEDs in my reflective vest - and that still doesnt mean the occassional last minute violent manouvre from oncoming traffic suggesting they still cant pick me out from the rest of the traffic.
Then again, last month one woman actually swung out to turn left (on a very wide road) and actually hit the (stationary) car that was immediately in front of me (after I had tucked in after filtering).

 

[Micky]

A flashing indictor means only one thing anyway.... the bulb works

 

[nadeem]

With front indication, I always assume that the cars coming the other way haven't seen me...I wait for a safe gap to turn right, it's a bit of a lottery in any case - they might not see your indicators even if you have no lights on the bike...

 

[Backmarker]

There was this guy killed (about 20 yards from my front door) in Bedford about 10 years ago. Riding along, minding his own business, car turns right into side street across him and takes him out.
I remember the case well. The car drivers argument was that a single motorbike headlight might have been directly in front of one of the two headlights of a car many yards back thus making him effectively 'invisible' (note the argument was 'might have been directly in front of..'). The riders family pointed out that he was riding a 125, was travelling well below the speed limit of 30mph, had been hit (as opposed to hitting the side of the turning car) and was wearing hi-viz clothing.
What followed was a wonderful afternoon where it was conclusively proved that wearing hi-viz clothing was futlie (the reflective stips would only have become illuminated once the car had already committed itself into the turn, as the headlights shone directly on to them, thus leaving the poor car driver with no possible time to react) and any motorcycle was inherently invisible due to it having only one headlight.

And I personally believe that 90% of 'sorry, I didnt see you' s are really just 'I got bored of waiting to pull out and figured you would manage to stop 'cause it is gonna hurt you too much if you dont and anyway if you dont manage its hardly gonna hurt me is it' (and in this respect I acknowledge that hi-viz clothing becomes counter productive - it can be interpreted as I am slow and not going to pull alongside and kick the shit out of your car and then piss off with my flip up number plate).

The auxilary lighting may not save me from the blind, but it may actually require the car driver to look twice, to actually think, to comprehend what he/she sees ( I know from filtering every day that a bike in my mirrors with aux lights requires more conscious thought about how far back it is, how fast it is gaining etc), and that extra time spent between them seeing me and manouvering gives me the same amount of time to be prepared for them.

 

[Gas'd Off]

And I personally believe that 90% of 'sorry, I didnt see you' s are really just 'I got bored of waiting to pull out and figured you would manage to stop 'cause it is gonna hurt you too much if you dont and anyway if you dont manage its hardly gonna hurt me is it'

Nail, head, hit