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Old October 18th 19, 11:31 AM posted to uk.rec.cycling
Bod[_5_]
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Posts: 3,516
Default Lies about coach driver caused by ubdertaking cyclist

On 18/10/2019 11:13, JNugent wrote:
On 18/10/2019 10:58, Bod wrote:
On 18/10/2019 10:44, JNugent wrote:
On 18/10/2019 02:10, Simon Jester wrote:
On Friday, October 18, 2019 at 12:52:40 AM UTC+1, JNugent wrote:
On 16/10/2019 20:55, Simon Jester wrote:
On Wednesday, October 16, 2019 at 8:14:36 PM UTC+1, Simon Jester
wrote:
On Wednesday, October 16, 2019 at 2:33:47 PM UTC+1, TMS320 wrote:
On 16/10/2019 13:40, JNugent wrote:
On 16/10/2019 12:32, TMS320 wrote:

On 16/10/2019 12:25, JNugent wrote:
On 07/10/2019 18:25, Simon Jester/Fool wrote:

Requiring 4+ wheeled motor vehicles to use side lights only on
lit 30mph roads would also help safety.

As for banning the use of headlights, I have rarely heard a more
Â*Â* obtuse suggestion.

Do you not know what headlights are for?

This might ellp:

Requir'n 4+ wheeled mowti vehicles ter use side lights only ed
lit
Â*Â* 30mph roads would also ellp safety.

Translation provided by http://www.whoohoo.co.uk/main.asp

You too don't like the idea of other people being able to see
where
they're going (plus dark-clad pedestrians, cyclists without
lights,
etc), then?

Yes, it's a good for people to seeing their surroundings.
Streetlights
are pretty good with that. Our night vision is far better than we
realise. Except we keep shining unshaded lights in our faces and
never
give it a chance.

My approach to this issue is very straightforward. If it's dark
enough for the law to require the use of side-lights, it's
certainly
dark enough for the use of headlights to be an invaluable safety
move. I never drive on just side lights. There are all sorts of
things you need to be able to see in advance, including rain
puddles
(espoecially near pedestrians), craters and pot-holes as well as
pedestrians and cyclists, some of whom sem to be doing their
best to
be invisible in the murk.

When we had yellow streetlamps, black provided extremely good
contrast,
able to highlight things several hundred yards away.

Streetlamps would give you this ability if your vision wasn't
obliterated by oncoming headlamps.

AAMOF, I'd rather see the use of headlights made compulsory
everywhere when in motion (or when the engine is running) and
the use
of sidelights restricted only to marking the position of a
stationary
(ie, parked) vehicle. Upgrading the requirements for cycle lights
(requiring a car-like floodlighting of the whole area for some
yards
in front of the vehicle and for the whole width of the traffic
lane)
would be a good idea too.

That's the religion that produced those stupid fairy lights. I
would
disconnect them if it was legal to do so.

When some countries mandated headlamp use in 1998 (give or take
a couple
of years), casualties went up. Austria recognised their folly
after just
a year. The other countries were unable to shake off the religion.

Exactly. Making motorists feel safer just leads to them taking
more risks and those who use the roads as a matter of right
rather than under licence suffer the consequences.
Dipped headlights do nothing on street lit roads other than
obfuscate primary road users.

And the extra fuel consumed powering the lights.

Ah, yes... Common Fallacy #261.

Where does the energy to power the headlights come from?

Â*From the vehicle's alternator, of course, as buffered by the
battery. Did you not know that?


Which ultimately comes from the car's engine having to work harder to

produce the extra energy for any lights etc.
This results in higher fuel consumption.


Does it? Are you sure?

There used to be problems with the older generators (producing DC),
which were inefficient compared with today's alternators (which produce
AC, which is then rectified). The modern units are so much more
efficient that they produce more output than is required to run the
electrical systems and charge the battery.

Just as modern cars never seem to rust any more (at least, not at a few
years old like they used to), they also rarely seem to suffer from a
flat battery. The industry didn't drop generators and adopt alternators
for nothing. If I ever have need of my trusty old battery-charger
(bought over 40 years ago) again, I'll have a job finding it somewhere
out in the garage. It's there... but where...? Not that it matters much
from one year's end to another...

You could check:

http://what-when-how.com/automobile/...mo-automobile/


[for USA terminology "dynamo", read "generator"]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternator_(automotive)

It doesn't matter how efficient a power gathering system is, nothing

is 100% efficient. The fact remains that the more power is used, then
the more power is required. There is no point at which power becomes free.

--
Bod
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