I used to consider lights “optional,” but since bicycling has grown in popularity, I have observed more lightless riders — or failed to observe, rather — and now quite agree. I’m amazed that I got away with riding effectively invisible, with no incidents, for as long as I did.
Now I’m baffled by the fact that lights aren’t built into the frames of all non-competitive road bikes…
They are standard on all Dutch bikes. Is that not true in other countries? Bikes without lights, rear reflectors and reflectors on the wheels or tires are far, far more dangerous than not wearing a helmet.
You are right, just reflectors is not enough (though tire reflectors are amazingly effective for traffic coming from the side). Lights really should be standard.
I assume anyone riding without lights at night is a gigantic moron. I barely notice people not wearing helmets, which is much more common (sadly, they are both fairly common).
Among cyclists, not having a light gets noticed, but the non-cyclist narrative about crashes in, say, a newspaper, is almost always "X was/was not wearing a helmet" and almost never "X was riding without lights in the dark."
Lights are mandatory in Germany. Every bike needs to have them installed to be road legal, even if it's only used during the day. (There are some exceptions for racing bikes)
Traffic policing in the US is insane in general. Everyone driving takes the speed limit as a speed minimum that should be exceeded by 10-15 mph, and everyone runs red lights all the time (the drivers try to make the light and fail, while the cyclists at least stop to check and make sure there's no ongoing traffic).
It seems like police almost totally ignore cyclists, unless an individual cop wants to harass someone for being on the road at all.
In Louisville, when the police show up at an auto-bike collision, they think they cannot cite a driver unless they personally witness the accident, no matter how egregious or reckless the accident. http://bicyclingforlouisville.blogspot.com/2009/02/tour-de-f...
Fwiw, in Germany in car vs anything squishier incidents the fault is assumed by default to be on the car driver, and only small percentages can be shifted to the other person.
Regardless of whatever obligations the other participants have, the car driver as the operator of the most powerful thing has the supreme obligation to pay attention.
Police RARELY ever ticket bikers. I've seen it only happen once, it was so surprising to the biker: the cop had to cut him off because he wouldn't pull over.
That is completely insane. Here in Germany cops will intentionally park themselves in the winter season on paths popular for kids to get to school to stop them and give them a talking-to if they rolled through without lights on. And adults without working lights will get ticketed, as well for much smaller offenses. (I once got ticketed for heaving radio ear plugs in on both sides.)
In Amsterdam, cops regularly organize a big light check point where they stop all bikers without lights, and let them choose between a stiff fine or buying (much cheaper) lights right there. Most people choose the lights, which goes a long way towards solving the problem.
We had a crowd of a dozen get tickets for blowing through a stop sign. Its embarrassing to responsible cyclists when clubs get an arrogant crew, above the rules of safety.
But not having a helmet attracts more negative attention than not having lights does.