Winter bike lights: Fixed or flashing?

As the nights draw in and the need for bike lights looms large, the big question remains: Flashing or fixed?

LED bike lights offer a choice between the two, but every year around this time we wonder which is best.

This set of LEDs from Knog hedges its bets with a dizzying choice of lighting patterns as well as a steady mode. Better yet, the waterproof design features integrated USB charging and up to 60 hours of run time.

Win a Knog Blinder X Light Set

To be in with a chance of winning a Knog Blinder X Light Set, simply leave a comment below and let us know if you're a fan of fixed or flashing lights. We will pick a name next week and deliver the prize by the time the clocks change later this month.

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Flashing or fixed?

Evermore complex lighting patterns seem to be have become the default, but might that in itself be counterproductive? Is it helpful for drivers to consciously, or subconsciously, associate flashing rear lights with cyclists? Might a single bright, but fixed, red light as used by motorbikes be more effective?

Campaigners lobbied against mandatory rear lights for bicycles for most of the first half of the twentieth century. The law aimed to improve safety, but campaigners feared it was little more than victim blaming. They believed drivers have a responsibility to drive at speed that allowed them to spot everything in their path  – illuminated or not. The campaign against mandatory rear lights is now little more than a historical curiosity, but it resonates with those who object to today's high-vis evangelism.

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The ethical choice

The ETA was established in 1990 as an ethical provider of green, reliable travel services. Over 30 years on, we continue to offer cycle insurance , breakdown cover  and mobility scooter insurance while putting concern for the environment at the heart of all we do.

The Good Shopping Guide judges us to be the UK's most ethical provider.

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