Originally Posted by
canklecat
Best side visibility at night is with wheel mounted LEDs. Nothing else makes a bike pop out of the background clutter of other cars and city lights like rotating LEDs. They add a little weight and I use 'em only on my hybrids for casual rides and errands. But I may add some to my steel road bike since it won't add significant weight.
For now my compromise is helmet lights, little but bright USB blinkies strapped front and rear. I got 4 years of regular use, several times a week, from a Blackburn 2'Fer before its runtime per charge significantly decreased.
I rely on my helmet-mounted Cygolite Metro Pro 1100 headlight. It probably isn't as effective as if it were constantly firing both left and right of me, but when I look directly at a driver, I have not yet had one fail to very quickly see me and when required, stop immediately. This happened just last night in town coming home from the local Pearl District Safeway. My normal route home (it's just a mile or so) has stop signs for me at every single block. It's fine, I am never in a hurry in town. However, there is one section where I can go two whole blocks (!) without stopping because the crossing street there does have its own stop sign. Cars there never want to stop for me. There must be a dark spot or something for them, but they often do not see my very bright bar lights. It's weird, they just don't seem to see them. So, I always slow way down there and assume some vehicle is going to either roll or totally blow through that stop. It's just what happens. Happened again last evening. Car rolled up, slowed, then began accelerating as it was clearly my right of way to move on through the intersection. I immediately almost stopped and turned directly toward the driver. She finally saw my headlight, then me, hit her brakes, waved apologetically, and I moved through the intersection without being hit.
The helmet light has proven to be very effective for me as a 'be seen' measure as well as a 'see' measure. I wouldn't give it up for the world.