Has anyone tried laser tail lights, which project red lines on the road?

[guerney]

I think they were just a bit confused by what was in front of them.

I can't wait to see how they look in fogs! Could they look like sheets of red light either side, nightclub style? Perhaps in a fog at night...

I also wear a yellow reflective jacket that has a blue "Security" strip across the back. Maybe it was the combination of the two. I don't have a problem wearing the jacket with the lasers off. Whatever it is, the lasers definitely make the car drivers more cautious.

You could have looked like a cop who might turn right, or about to flag them down to inspect their particulars, and ask kvestions? Anything legal I can do to slow drivers down as they pass my bicycle, has good to be a worth a go...

 

[guerney]

The frickin' laser beams are much brighter with decent batteries:





...but in bright light - in this case a phone camera LED flash - they pretty much disappear... In car headlights, I think they would be invisible. I should imagine they'd give advance warning from a distance. Still, they helped liven up an otherwise boring looking backdrop of street view shot for a film crew filming outside a pub tonight lol. Maybe I'll be in the movies? I set my 1800LM headlight to horrifyingly rapid and bright strobe, as I cycled past slowly, with my frickin' laser beams... P.S. my secondhand ebay spiral rear wheel spoke reflectors work great! I'm sure they're 3M Scotchlite - not available anywhere new.





I'd prefer 20 laser lines...

 

[Andy-Mat]

My bike has frickin laser beams! The included "Panesamig" batteries didn't last long - about two hours, therefore I'm unsure of how bright the lasers actually are with good batteries. I'll have to do another test with rechargeable NIMH AAA, but here's a pic taken in almost complete darkness on rough ground - I haven't finalised laser positioning. I agree with @saneagle that the laser LED mount could be much better. Flimsy, so it's supported by my GPS light. My seatpost is getting crowded and I may need a longer one.

Five rear lights (including the wired in rear light from Junstar and flashing LED sash on my rucksack) plus two wide reflectors may seem overkill to some, but not me! I don't know if the laser beams at full power will make any difference, but every little helps. If not, I've bought a good rear LED flasher for a fiver.

I won't know if hordes of cats have been sprinting along the road behind me, until I buy a rear view camera.


View attachment 47796

View attachment 47797


The top light in the pic below has frickin laser beams underneath, the other two are GPS light and flasher (left to right). I might buy another LED/laser light to attach to the bike trailer flagpole, somehow.


View attachment 47798



Wide reflectors

View attachment 47799



LED sash:

View attachment 47800

Looks very impressive, all of it. Thanks for sharing.
regards
Andy

 

[WheezyRider]

The concern I have with lasers is in the wet. Could they reflect off of a puddle and dazzle a driver?

 

[guerney]

The concern I have with lasers is in the wet. Could they reflect off of a puddle and dazzle a driver?

Good question. I also wondered whether lasers reflecting off car bonnets at night, when they're extremely close behind, could be dazzling or distracting: it'd be a bright red laser line or two, or parts thereof, creeping left to right (if they're overtaking). Lasers creeping along a Police car bonnet, could lead to my being stopped?

I'll try to dip them a bit more to make the lines shorter at the back, but unfortunately if I dipped them further, the laser lines wouldn't be parallel and would be too close either side of the bike. My seatpost is too short - it's much shorter than the original Dahon seatpost, which I had to replace to switch to a generic saddle type. I just about manage (leg extension isn't enough) - I should buy a compatible 33mm diameter Tern extending version anyway. I'd be able to position the laser lines 1.5m away either side with a longer seatpost.

Dipping them down further also risks the lasers being projected out in front, which brings the spectre of cats jumping in front of my bike. Installing the lasers lower on the seatpost would make the lines closer, make them shorter and brighter, but would keep them parallel - seems a bit pointless?

 

[I893469365902345609348566]

Dipping them down further also risks the lasers being projected out in front, which brings the spectre of cats jumping in front of my bike. I

Badgers are worse. Trust me.

 

[sjpt]

Badgers are worse. Trust me.

Might be a big cat; tiger or lion. say.

 

[I893469365902345609348566]

Might be a big cat; tiger or lion. say.

Badger the size of a pig with "Six inch teeth"

Giant badger the 'size of a pig' terrorises pensioner

Terry Cooper, 79, says he came face-to-face with a 'super badger' with enormous teeth that was on the prowl for food

www.telegraph.co.uk

 

[I893469365902345609348566]

Might be a big cat; tiger or lion. say.

The fear is real, looking 9 minutes and 18 seconds into this video. Savannah cats chasing lasers worries me: big and very fast. Some years ago my neighbours had one. They had to keep it locked up to stop it killing everything.

 

[StuartsProjects]

Good question. I also wondered whether lasers reflecting off car bonnets at night, when they're extremely close behind, could be dazzling or distracting

If the laser is reflected off a flat mirror or polished bare metal surface then perhaps this might be a problem.

But if reflected off non mirrors, pools or water other surfaces, you would expect the laser to scatter and not be a dazzeling point source.

Could of been a problem in years gone bye with all those chrome bumbers and mirrors that were so common.

Easy to check, go out at night and do some tests with a laser pointer.

 

[Andy-Mat]

The concern I have with lasers is in the wet. Could they reflect off of a puddle and dazzle a driver?

I don't see that as a problem as most police officers are highly trained drivers, and I suspect that they will not simply tread on the faster pedal, and ignore what they are seeing......They will simply slow down!
regards
Andy
PS. After leaving the RN in in 1973, I took a police driving course of 3 weeks (courtesy of the RN!), which I feel that even today I still benefit from, demonstrating to me just how highly trained police drivers are..... They are streets ahead of any "normal" driver.....

 

[guerney]

I don't see that as a problem as most police officers are highly trained drivers, and I suspect that they will not simply tread on the faster pedal, and ignore what they are seeing......They will simply slow down!
regards
Andy
PS. After leaving the RN in in 1973, I took a police driving course of 3 weeks (courtesy of the RN!), which I feel that even today I still benefit from, demonstrating to me just how highly trained police drivers are..... They are streets ahead of any "normal" driver.....

What did they teach you in cop driving school Andy? 3 weeks sounds long enough to learn rather a lot.

 

[Andy-Mat]

What did they teach you in cop driving school Andy? 3 weeks sounds long enough to learn rather a lot.

Very true, but the main thing that I learned, and still use today, is "reading the road".
This is probably the largest single part of the driving, that is, you have a qualified police driver sitting beside you and while driving, you have to say loudly, all your observations, including people on the pavement, with the important ones first, while driving at the legal speed limit for that road. At first its surprisingly hard to do, and I was sometimes stuttering (I do not stutter normally!), which I was told was normal at first. You do get used to it though and it helps keepng you very observant!
But its a long time ago and I am sure that I have forgotten a lot!
But I can say with 100% honesty (still!), that I have never caused an accident (up till now!), but I have been driven into about 16 or 17 times, I have lost count.
Most from the back, people following too close, and once from the RH side, here in Germany a few years ago.......
All my accidents have been metal damage only, nobody was injurred, and till now, the other person's insurance paid out, except twice, once was an American who jumped a red light and crashed into my company car in London, he left the country immediately as he was driving uninsured.
The other one happened near to Southend (A127?), when a guy was reading a map, and did not see me stopped.... He gave a false name and address, that the Police thought was accurate.....not true!!
regards
Andy
PS. I am sure that the Police advanced driving courses are probably still available, but probably expensive.... Some of these may be interesting for those wanting to improve:-

UK Police advanced driving course? - Google Search