Yeah! Sure do know what you're talking about. I have CRS too and of all the things I've lost I miss my mind the most. OH!... you mean about the lightsAnalysttom said:At Wingstock I followed a GL from Florida with very bright taillight bulbs. At first I thought they were the brakelights. He told me the brand and where he got them, but my heads a sieve. Anyone know what I am talking about?
Thanks
Were they any chance the LED modules that are plug in replacements for the incandescent bulbs? Please post what they were when you figure it out. I'm interested too.
I agree. I also keep in mind that at night, your mind calculates the distance a vehicle is in front of you by the spacing between the taillights. If there is little or no other light to give perspective and there is only one taillight, (and pilots can attest to this) you have no accurate perception of the distance. That's why some bikers have been tailended on the interstate or dark roads at night. The bigger the rear end light pattern and the more unique it is, the better your chances of being seen. Never stop in the wheel tracks (left or right) of a vehicle in front of you as the person behind may think it's just two taillights and will hit you before realizing you are something behind that stopped vehicle. That's another vote for tapping the brakes or having a brake light modulator. It marks you as something other than the corner of the cage in front of you.Analysttom said:
What about single tail light vehicles, like most motorcycles? How do you tell then?Dream Catcher said:
That's my point Wanderer. The part of my post about bikes getting hit out on the road. As a pilot, one thing I was taught, is that a single point of reference, like a wing tip light, can give you NO perception of how distant that light is. If you know what the thing is that is putting off the light, your mind will make an estimation of distance based on familiarity with that thing. IF you don't know what is there it becomes a question of "Is that a bright light, a long way off, or is it a small or dim light very near me?" You cannot tell how far you are from another airplane if you can only see one wingtip light. I agree with you about perceiving variations of distance. The problem is that you cannot determine relative velocities until the other vehicle is pretty close, and that may be too late. If you are out on a dark road and see a small dim red light way out there you will have to watch it very closely to determine your relative velocities. Your mind may see it as something very far away and you don't give it all your attention. Then you suddenly realize it's a dim single bulb taillight and you're almost on top of it. I've come up on small cars with taillights relatively close together and been surprised because I thought they were a larger vehicle farther away. I'm sure diferent folks have different levels of ability when it comes to perceiving "closing rates" and maybe you have a better sense of that than me. I just have to relate to my pilot training and experiences in "dark country" in the service. Any way you look at it though, our discussing it may put the seed of thought into some riders who haven't considered the subject before. Thanks for the response.Wanderer said:
Could this be what your original post was about? :idea:Analysttom said:At Wingstock I followed a GL from Florida with very bright taillight bulbs. At first I thought they were the brakelights. He told me the brand and where he got them, but my heads a sieve. Anyone know what I am talking about?
Thanks
Your Welcome!Analysttom said:Thanks Lou, those are the items. Locally we have had 2 friends hit from behind recently. One is back riding after a few months of pain. The other is paralyzed from the waist down. I don't know for sure that brighter lights and a modulator will help, but I am sure they won't hurt.
Tom
