Are All Those Farkles Really Necessary?

Taxis and their drivers warrant enhanced scrutiny in my experience.

 

I think in the uk side lights have to be amber like goods vehicles and trailers as per your front forks
And in southern Ireland extra chevrons on the back

 

Do you mean the reflectors stuck on the outer sides of the front forks?

 

Yes that's right although not a legal requirement they can be fitted along the side of a vehicle

 

A hairdryer and some dental floss normally sort mine out .

 

An awful lot of RTCs on bikes are recorded as side impacts.

 

Another method is fine fishing line.

 

30 years as a fireman and never went to a side impact motorcycle RTC. Many pulled out in front of and a few rear ended. Never a hit side on.

 

Similarly, I added these lamps on my Speedy, not so much to see, but to aid in being seen.

 

Do the stats differentiate between the car hitting the bike side on and the bike hitting the car side on?

 

Not to get too far off topic, but I have a buddy who had a conversion van with a large side window pull out in front of him. He hit the van broadside and ended up going through the big window and seated with the van owner's kids in the back! He suffered a broken wrist and a bruised shoulder and that's it!

 

Mind you, a large proportion of KSI's result from loss of control on left hand bends in particular, usually single vehicle incidents. All the lights and pinstripes in the world can't protect you if you lack skill or ride like a knob.

 

I just take off my side reflectors and don't replace with anything .

 

Ah, but you have just proved the case for the additional lamps insofar that if "Extra lights are more likely to annoy other road users than achieve much else."Then the fact that they have annoyed them means that they must have seen you which is the sole purpose of fitting them in the first place?

 

My latest farkle will be an Aoocci C6 Pro which will replace my iPhone that is mounted on a Quadlock stem on the top yoke bar clamp. The phone will then be in an inside pocket in my leathers.

This will give me TPMS and front and rear dashcam cameras in addition to the full functionality of the Iphone via CarPlay. In addition I have also ordered the rear facing radar for blind spot detection and warning. The kit was on 25% discount over the christmas holiday.

 

If we assume that you would otherwise not have been seen, you might have a point. However, the proliferation of lights on modern vehicles is drowning us all in a sea of light. When I drive on the motorway it's really unpleasant at times. Tesla seem the worst, but the advent of led lighting has given designers a free hand to annoy and dazzle everyone else, be it headlamps or tail lights. Bikes will suffer disproportionately in that environment. To me the sole purpose of lights is to see where I'm going, really. If you believe that lights will keep you safe from other road users, you could literally be setting yourself up for a fall.

 

Hahaha, i share your thought but not your willpower ......

The Road Traffic Act and Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations mandate that vehicles must be fitted with specific lights to ensure adequate illumination of the roadway and to make the vehicle visible to other road users, both in darkness and in conditions of reduced visibility.