visibility of DRL

On 4/4/2019 6:01 PM, Joerg wrote:
On 2019-04-04 12:15, jbeattie wrote:
On Thursday, April 4, 2019 at 11:15:40 AM UTC-7, Joerg wrote:
On 2019-04-03 18:56, David Scheidt wrote:
From time to time, we have discussed the visibility of daytime
running lights.Â* I commute on a bike with B&M Cyo, which I leave
on all the time, because I can't tell the difference if it's on
or off.Â* I found myself on google street view on my ride home
last fall.Â* I got passed by the car, and then passed it, and got
passed again.Â* So I, and the bike, are in a bunch of pictures,
from the front and behind, over several blocks.Â* This one gives a
good view of the headlight.Â* It's more visible than I'd have
expected.Â* This was about an hour before dark, and overcast
November day.

https://goo.gl/maps/NQURJ9dps3p


Not bad, for a StVZO light. However, I went virtually behind you in
the street view and it seems you need a better rear light. And as a
male toddler I wouldn't want to be seen sitting in that
rose-colored baby seat :-)

Really? https://tinyurl.com/y5v8pva3 He's more visible than the gray
Hyundai ahead of him. I would have absolutely no problem seeing him
if I were in a car or on a bike.


Next to the red car behind it, less visible:

https://goo.gl/maps/dNQBiRm4z672

Yes, because he chose a red jacket. If he chose yellow, he'd be better
off with the red car as background.

But then he might come upon a yellow car. Perhaps he should use green?

The obvious solution is to carry a full wardrobe of various colors and
quickly change jackets depending on traffic conditions.

Much more seriously: "less visible" than some theoretical maximum is not
necessarily a problem. A cyclist needs to be visible _enough_. And
despite the currently fashionable fear mongering, that does not require
any technology that wasn't common 20 years ago.

Good grief, Joerg, how did you survive riding 20 years ago??

--
- Frank Krygowski