Bicycle tail lights aren't, by most, considered to be as important as headlights.
Bicycle headlights are required to be seen from 100 feet away while a red reflector in the back is most commonly the minimum legal requirement.
Considering that safety, and the law, dictates that we ride in the same direction as traffic, what drivers see when approaching a bicycle from behind can be the difference between life and death.
With growing numbers of bicycle safety awareness programs and increased reports of accidents, some fatal, many cyclists have been choosing bright bicycle tail lights over reflectors, regardless of what the legal requirements are.
Officer Dan McQuillin of Chandler Arizona's bike unit, speaking to his local newspaper, The Arizona Republic, said "new riders often don't educate themselves before taking to the road, and that can lead to dangerous results".
Even though state law only requires reflectors, he recommends red tail lights.
Over the course of one month, in Columbia Missouri, where bicycle tail lights are required, the police department, instead of issuing tickets, gave away about 150 headlight and tail light sets to cyclists who were stopped for riding at night without them.
With the help of a local business they were able to show the public just how important an issue bicycle safety is to them.
One incident of note was reported by The Amherst Bulletin in Amherst Massachusetts.
Kristy King, a 28 year old woman was struck by a car while riding her bicycle at night.
The police found King to be at fault for the accident because she did not have lights on her bike; the driver just could not see her.
The police also noted that she was not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident.
Rob Kusner, a local bicycle safety advocate said "it's important for cyclists to both see and be seen".
Bicycle headlights are great for helping you see while riding at night but this statement reinforces the necessity for bicycle tail lights over reflectors.
An average of 689 bicyclists were killed each year in collisions with vehicles between 2000 and 2004, down from over 1,000 in 1975, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
But now this number is rising again, 716 bicyclists were killed in traffic accidents in 2008.
I know that this increase isn't a direct reflection on a lack of bicycle tail lights but it certainly shows that even with all the bicycle safety information available we still need a big improvement in bicycle safety awareness.
Bicycle headlights are required to be seen from 100 feet away while a red reflector in the back is most commonly the minimum legal requirement.
Considering that safety, and the law, dictates that we ride in the same direction as traffic, what drivers see when approaching a bicycle from behind can be the difference between life and death.
With growing numbers of bicycle safety awareness programs and increased reports of accidents, some fatal, many cyclists have been choosing bright bicycle tail lights over reflectors, regardless of what the legal requirements are.
Officer Dan McQuillin of Chandler Arizona's bike unit, speaking to his local newspaper, The Arizona Republic, said "new riders often don't educate themselves before taking to the road, and that can lead to dangerous results".
Even though state law only requires reflectors, he recommends red tail lights.
Over the course of one month, in Columbia Missouri, where bicycle tail lights are required, the police department, instead of issuing tickets, gave away about 150 headlight and tail light sets to cyclists who were stopped for riding at night without them.
With the help of a local business they were able to show the public just how important an issue bicycle safety is to them.
One incident of note was reported by The Amherst Bulletin in Amherst Massachusetts.
Kristy King, a 28 year old woman was struck by a car while riding her bicycle at night.
The police found King to be at fault for the accident because she did not have lights on her bike; the driver just could not see her.
The police also noted that she was not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident.
Rob Kusner, a local bicycle safety advocate said "it's important for cyclists to both see and be seen".
Bicycle headlights are great for helping you see while riding at night but this statement reinforces the necessity for bicycle tail lights over reflectors.
An average of 689 bicyclists were killed each year in collisions with vehicles between 2000 and 2004, down from over 1,000 in 1975, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
But now this number is rising again, 716 bicyclists were killed in traffic accidents in 2008.
I know that this increase isn't a direct reflection on a lack of bicycle tail lights but it certainly shows that even with all the bicycle safety information available we still need a big improvement in bicycle safety awareness.
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