December 20th, 2006
In a recent post I discussed the advantages of using two headlights to more efficiently illuminate the road: one mounted low to spread light along the surface directly in front of the bike; a second on the helmet to reach out at distance, spot around corners, etc. Besides maximizing the efficiency of available lumens, multiple lights also provide a safety benefit. The video at right attempts to demonstrate how multiple lights create a large visual footprint that catches the eye at greater distance than a single light.
In the demonstration I turned on three lights front and rear during the first pass, but only the single primary headlight and tail light during the second pass. The primary headlight, mounted at the fork crown, is a B&M Lumotec Oval; the flasher, mounted on the handlebar crossbar, is a Cateye EL-400; and the helmet light is a Princeton Tec Eos. The primary tail light is a Lumotec DToplight; the rear-facing white flasher is another Cateye EL-400; and the helmet mounted, rear-facing red flasher is a Blackburn Mars 3.0.
As you can see in the video, even relatively inexpensive, low-powered LED lights, strategically located on the bike and rider, can dramatically increase the visual footprint and increase the probability of being seen by motor vehicle drivers.¹ Considering the high quality and low cost of LED lights today, adding two or three to your lighting set-up may be the best investment you can make to increase your safety (assuming you ride at night, of course).
If you have trouble viewing the video or you’re on a slow connection, you can view all of my videos in lower resolution at YouTube.