Pros
+ Whether riding the street jungle or a dark forest section, daytime lights would remarkably boost your visibility. Being spotted by a passing driver even a second earlier could make the difference between life and death. This has been actually the only truly meaningful argument so far, however, unless you’re a cat, you only have a single life to lose.
+ Acquiring a new light is a tiny investment everybody can make for their safety.
+ An in many countries the cars are running their lights in the daytime, it’s harder to spot a road user who is not using any light.
+ A survey made in Denmark revealed that cyclists using daytime lights have 19 % lower incident rate than cyclists not using them.
Cons
– You always have to carry a light with charged batteries, regardless if you set for a day ride or just hurry around the block to pick up some groceries – no light, no ride.
– The new rule would expand police mandate to stop and inspect you.
– Car drivers would become even angrier with cyclists disobeying the rule (or simply forgetting to switch the light on).
– Expecting massive sales, light manufacturers would be extremely delighted. But what about you? There are growing numbers of bike brands offering lights with daytime mode. The front and rear sets with daytime mode are available for around 100 EUR.
So, what is your opinion? Are mandatory daytime running lights a good idea? Let us know in the comments.
