Reflectors
Thread started by
thegodofthor at 10.28.09 - 2:04 pm
So I recently read a story in Bicycling magazine about bike laws and reflectors and lights. They made a suggestion to keep the reflectors on your bike, because in a court of law, the defense of a motorist will often use the fact that you have removed the standard safety equipment causing you to be less visible even if you do have additional bike lights..
Well today I came across an article about a guy that was hit by a car turning left infront of him.
http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091028/NEWS/910280326/-1/NEWSMAP
"Lundborn said another mitigating factor was Dowd was dressed in dark clothing with no reflective or safety gear. The bike had one reflector on a front tire, he added."
Just thought it was interesting, this motorist didn't even make it to court.
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For the record, here's the list of equipment per CVC 21201.
Make sure you go out and buy those pedal reflectors and wheel / tire reflectors now.
Equipment Requirements
21201. (a) No person shall operate a bicycle on a roadway unless it is equipped with a brake which will enable the operator to make one braked wheel skid on dry, level, clean pavement.
(b) No person shall operate on the highway a bicycle equipped with handlebars so raised that the operator must elevate his hands above the level of his shoulders in order to grasp the normal steering grip area.
(c) No person shall operate upon a highway a bicycle that is of a size that prevents the operator from safely stopping the bicycle, supporting it in an upright position with at least one foot on the ground, and restarting it in a safe manner.
(d) A bicycle operated during darkness upon a highway, a sidewalk where bicycle operation is not prohibited by the local jurisdiction, or a bikeway, as defined in Section 890.4 of the Streets and Highways Code, shall be equipped with all of the following:
(1) A lamp emitting a white light that, while the bicycle is in motion, illuminates the highway, sidewalk, or bikeway in front of the bicyclist and is visible from a distance of 300 feet in front and from the sides of the bicycle.
(2) A red reflector on the rear that shall be visible from a distance of 500 feet to the rear when directly in front of lawful upper beams of headlamps on a motor vehicle.
(3) A white or yellow reflector on each pedal, shoe, or ankle visible from the front and rear of the bicycle from a distance of 200 feet.
(4) A white or yellow reflector on each side forward of the center of the bicycle, and a white or red reflector on each side to the rear of the center of the bicycle, except that bicycles that are equipped with reflectorized tires on the front and the rear need not be equipped with these side reflectors.
(e) A lamp or lamp combination, emitting a white light, attached to the operator and visible from a distance of 300 feet in front and from the sides of the bicycle, may be used in lieu of the lamp required by paragraph (1) of subdivision (d).
Amended Ch. 723, Stats. 1979. Effective January 1, 1980.
Amended Sec. 1, Ch. 232, Stats. 2007. Effective January 1, 2008.
JB10.28.09 - 2:22 pm
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http://www.probikekit.com/display.php?code=Y2076
this should do for the wheel reflectors. I might these for my next set.
My rims have big reflective stickers, do those count?
I also have reflective tape on my fork and seat stays
Gav10.28.09 - 5:24 pm
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What still irks me is the limited amount of mounting options available for most rear-reflective and lighting equipment.
All the manufacturers who sell the $5 ones to the $50 ones only include a weak-ass seat-tube mounting bracket.
Good luck trying to find a light with dedicated rack mount-ability or a rack with a decent light mount.
We've always got to devise some fancy method to keep the light from shattering into a million pieces on the road, while making battery access a cinch.
bentstrider10.28.09 - 6:58 pm
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