According to the , more bicycle fatalities occur between 6 P.M. and 9 P.M. than at any other time鈥攏early 40 percent. You can probably guess why.听

While no amount of safety gear can protect you from a distracted or drunk driver, being visible on the road at night can听help you avoid being struck by attentive drivers. One of the most effective听ways to ensure听this?听Bike lights. They鈥檙e not just for night riding, either: though not legally required, daytime running lights can also help to catch a motorist鈥檚 eye听in broad daylight听(more on that later).听

Bicycle lights are broken听into two categories: lights to see and lights to be seen. 鈥淏e-seen lights are just bright enough so nearby motorists or pedestrians can see you,鈥� says Andrew Ibanez, a sales representative at the bike-lights company . 鈥淭o-see lights are much brighter, illuminating the road or trail ahead.鈥� There鈥檚 obviously some crossover between the two.

Solid Versus Flashing Lights

Most lights have several听settings, ranging from solid to flashing to pulsing,听often at various speeds. A solid white light is hands down a cyclist鈥檚 best option for seeing the road ahead at night. It鈥檚 also excellent for making you visible to other road users, while not distracting others听and delivering constant information about your location. 鈥淐ontinuous lighting sources are less jarring than blinking lights,鈥� says Ryan Young, youth-programs coordinator at the .听

On the other hand, research shows that solid light isn鈥檛 as good at capturing our attention, making it a less optimal setting for a taillight or a be-seen headlight. According to Heather Nenov, an ophthalmologist from , light entering the eye at a consistent brightness activates photoreceptors at the back of the eye. However, when light enters the eye in flashes, it activates those photoreceptors repeatedly and can activate more of them. 鈥淭hink car-brake lights,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the contrast that catches our attention more than if they were just on continuously.鈥澨�

A conducted by Pennsylvania鈥檚听听also concluded that faster flash rates draw more attention than slower flash rates. But there is a limit: 听at the Color Usage Research Lab on how the brain processes flashing light听showed that our eyes respond best to lights that flash between four and eight hertz (cycles per second).

The Optimal Setup

At Night

You should always run a minimum of two lights on your bike while riding at night鈥攁听front-facing听light听to illuminate the road ahead听and a听rear-facing taillight so drivers听behind can see you. Your front light should be white, bright enough for you to see any upcoming obstacles, and set to the solid-beam option. Most good nighttime听front lights range from 250听to 2,000 lumens (in听comparison, ). 鈥淔or a light that is designed to see, many riders are comfortable mountain-biking at about 700 lumens, but 1,000 lumens is what I really start recommending as the minimum,鈥� says Alex Applegate, the marketing manager at Bontrager, a maker of cycling apparel and accessories like lights.听鈥淚f you are commuting on the open road and using the light to see, I would use the same recommendation. In a city setting with more ambient light, you can get by with less.鈥�

Your rear light should be red and听ideally pulsing, and it only needs to be bright enough for other cars to see you. Your rear light only needs to be 鈥攎uch less powerful than your front light. Remember: it doesn鈥檛 need to help you see, just be seen.

It鈥檚 also not just about lumens.听鈥淟umens are听a measure of total light output,鈥� says听Applegate.听鈥淭he higher the number, the more total light is emitted.听But it鈥檚听not as easy as more lumens equals more visibility鈥攐ptics and focus play a huge part in where听the light goes and how far you can see it听or be seen while using it.听Think about a regular lightbulb: it鈥檚 pretty bright up close, but from a distance, not very visible. To be visible from a meaningful distance, especially during the day, the focus and optics of a light are just as important as lumens.鈥�

Not all models offer a pulsing听option, so make sure you do your research before you buy. The , , and all lights include a pulsing听option.听If your light doesn鈥檛 have a pulsing option, a flashing or strobing light is better than a solid beam, especially at night,听according to , which sells daytime running lights.听

During the Day

Daytime running lights are not legally required, but 听found that the accident rate for cyclists with constant permanent running lights is 19 percent lower than for cyclists without lights. During sunny hours, getting a driver鈥檚 attention requires a more powerful light source or flashing pattern. Daytime running lights, like the Bontrager Flare RT, have a different, more concentrated beam pattern for higher visibility in bright light.听But if you don鈥檛 have a dedicated daytime light, switch听both your front-facing and rear-facing lights to the brightest setting available, and turn them to pulsing or flashing mode. According to听the same research compiled by Trek, 鈥渦sing a flashing tail light [during the day] can make you up to 2.4听times听more noticeable than a rider using no lights at all (and up to 1.4听times听more noticeable than a rider using a light in steady mode).鈥� Some lights, such as the or the听, automatically detect changes in ambient light and adjust intensity and flash rate accordingly.

Light Positioning

No matter what mode your light is in, it鈥檚 useless if it isn鈥檛 placed where drivers can听see it. While mounting lights on highly visible body parts鈥攍ike your head (via your helmet)鈥攊s all well and good, Cascade Bicycle Club鈥檚 Ryan says you should only do this for your headlight听if you already have a light also mounted on your handlebars.听鈥淚f your only front-facing light is on your helmet, you can always see where you are looking,鈥� he says. 鈥淏ut if you turn your head, the traffic opposite听your direction of travel will no longer see your light [or potentially听you].鈥� If you attach your taillight to your seatpost or seatstays, be sure it鈥檚 not being obstructed by a saddlebag or your tire. As with any new piece of gear, get familiar with your lights before taking them out on the road.

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