Viewing 12 posts - 41 through 52 (of 52 total)
  • Is there a legal standard for bicycle lights ?
  • CraigW
    Free Member

    There are quite a few lights that meet the German StZVO standards. eg Busch and Muller, Supernova or Philips. So they should be fine under the UK regulations.

    ir_bandito
    Free Member

    Germany is a different story – front lights have to be of an approved type on the road with a cut off beam (a bit like car dipped beams) so as not to dazzle oncoming traffic.

    I’d quite like that rule to be brought in here. On the road, ultra-bright bike lights, are distracting for other users. Its one thing being seen, but dazzling a car driver is dangerous.

    I’ve got some upgraded Hope V2s which I always turn down to low on lit roads. I’ve just also got an Exposure Revo. Its bloody brilliant, stupidliy bright but it has no switch at all, so I’ve dazzled lots of people with it already. 🙁

    MrAgreeable
    Full Member

    It seems that helmets and hi-viz are routinely used as leverage by defendant solicitors, as in “settle before trial for less money, or we’ll raise the fact that your client was bare-headed in court”.

    That’s not the same as binding law though and a solicitor with a good grasp of this should be able to tell them to get knotted.

    http://www.cyclistsdefencefund.org.uk/cycle-helmets-and-contributory-negligence/recent-cases

    Luminous
    Free Member

    I’d quite like that rule to be brought in here. On the road, ultra-bright bike lights, are distracting for other users. Its one thing being seen, but dazzling a car driver is dangerous.

    It is illegal to dazzle another road user, be you driving a car with the main beam switched to high, or you are using a high powered, bike light. Whatever the light source, its illegal to dazzle another road user.

    The “Big Bang” by Busch and Muller has an additional lense for on-road use, in Germany, which generates the typical dipped beam pattern of a car head lamp.

    Del
    Full Member

    though presumably points the light in the wrong direction for UK use?

    MrAgreeable
    Full Member

    The B&M light I’ve got isn’t focused to one particular side but it’s got a very sharp cutoff at riders’ and drivers’ eye level. With my Hope Vision 4 focused about 20m in front of me I can see the tops of the trees I’m riding past, with the B&M I can just see the road.

    Bez
    Full Member

    The German StVZO regs are very good and the most stringent in the world AFAIK – all my lights are German and they’re much better for the road than any UK light – and I doubt you’d run into any trouble convincing a UK court that such a setup is legal. The only tricky bit is pedal reflectors. When using clipless pedals I use reflective tape – but it’s white.

    It’s certainly been used before, there was one definite example where a judge ruled 25% contributory negligence from the cyclist for not wearing a helmet. I can’t find the case at the moment though but it’s a very dangerous precedent.

    Wasn’t that the one where the chap was on an organised (and, IIRC, competitive) company event and refused the helmet he was asked to wear, then himself caused a crash and sued the company? (Or something like that.) – If so I *think* the contributory negligence bit was due to his refusal to heed their specific advice rather than for simply not wearing a helmet per se.

    But even if contributory negligence has not managed to actually reduce damages, there is precedent of the consideration that it (in the eyes of the law) does so, which is the Smith v Finch case:

    http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/outrage-at-ruling-on-helmets-for-cyclists-1645736.html
    http://www.cyclistsdefencefund.org.uk/smith-v-finch-jorgensen-v-moore-reviews-cases-involving-cycle-helmets-and-contributory-negligence
    http://www.access-legal.co.uk/legal-news/cycle-helmets-a-legal-update-lu-3863.htm

    So, there is a clear risk of damages being reduced for not wearing a helmet even in a non-fault incident. I think it’s massively misguided, but there you go.

    Bez
    Full Member

    though presumably points the light in the wrong direction for UK use?

    As MrAgreeable says, they send the light down to the road (and send more light to longer ranges) but they’re laterally symmetrical.

    gofasterstripes
    Free Member

    I think we need maximum power or beam shape controls. I am a total transportation cycling advocate, yet even I [let-alone car drivers] am fed-up with being blinded by 1000 Lumen LED lights with no beam control on bikes….

    Even when I use an Aldi LED as a head torch [where the ??*? is my Hope 1 hiding in the flat?] I look away when I pass a car so I don’t blind them.

    MrAgreeable
    Full Member

    There’s more detailed commentary on Smith v Finch here:

    http://www.cyclistsdefencefund.org.uk/smith-v-finch-jorgensen-v-moore-reviews-cases-involving-cycle-helmets-and-contributory-negligence

    Obiter dicta remarks are not considered binding law, they might be persuasive under the right circumstances.

    It’s scary to hear that many claimants are now accepting reductions to settlements for not wearing a helmet, even though there’s no binding law on the subject.

    drlex
    Free Member

    At te risk of turning this thread into another helmet debate, leading Counsel’s opinion on the legal need to wear bicycle helmets can be found here (PDF)..

    Echoing Bez‘s comment, I use German-approved dynamo lights, and would argue that heel reflectors on either shoes or overshoes would cover the pedal reflector requirement.

    fingerbike
    Free Member

    The Pedal reflectors – have reflective panels on heel of one pair of shoes and have wrapped the end of the cranks in reflective tape.

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