Policeman on Motorcycles

Having been a pedal cyclist and a motorcyclist I do realise how vulnerable two wheels are. Lighting at night is then much more important to the rider as it could be the difference between life and death.

Today not only do many powerful lights on vehicles dazzle/temporary blind other drivers but the same problem is also prevalent from motorcycles.

Having read an article in driving magazine on the motorcycle the Police use and how easy it should be to adjust the headlights and set them not to dazzle other road users I needed to find out from the Police direct.

I spotted two riders in Belgrave Square and proceeded to follow them waiting for my opportunity to stop them safely. Managing to get beside the straggler of the two of them whose lights in my opinion were set just a wee bit high enough to dazzle other road users my questions began to flow. This young officer was quite happy to chat with me but quickly confirmed what is happening with many new motorcycles. The headlights on these new motorcycles are so good that when drivers see them they perceive I want them to stop as my headlight appears to flash and puts the motorist of.

I knew these lights were dazzling me and others on a nightly basis but its great when an officer admits it directly. So how can we use what is a good improvement for the rider that then doesn’t then blind other road users.

Motorcyclists need to be seen and lighting on their bikes needs to be noticed. The accident rate of these motorcycles is extremely high. [For the average rider/not the Police} I believe a combination of over brightness that dazzles other drivers making it hard for that driver to see if he or she is dealing with a car with one headlamp or a motorcycle could be their own downfall.

This particular problem is going to harder to deal with than my current ongoing petition at number 10. Dazzling/blinding incidences from motorcycles is a growing concern and I believe many riders do not realise they are blinding drivers.

Having spoken to only one officer who rides a motorcycle and him giving me confirmation he has problems it appears that more thought than throwing brighter lighting at the driver/rider is not a definitive answer and needs to be looked at with more than bright lighting that is clearly detrimental to others.

Epilogue:

I don’t think reducing the brightness of the lighting plus making sure riders that carry pillions or transport large parcels remember to readjust the headlamps with the weight change and reflective marking which should glow in maybe a more uniform style than any current reflectors that make it obvious you have a motorcycle in your headlights view safety for all could be improved considerably.

I think this even for me is much more tricky than that of car headlights and if you manage to get through this blog I would love you to make the effort and give me some of your comments as there needs to be something better than what we have at the present time.