Quote:
Originally Posted by RushMcColley
It's very interesting your amber filter... but in Italy, if the cops stop us, they are trouble...
In England or Canada you know if it's regular??
Rush McColley
|
In my pic above the bike isn't running so it is only a running light, and is already very visible. The amber is much more visible when the bike is running but then the bright light would have ruined the pic of the handsome ou on the bike (me)!
Selective yellow colours have been shown to be far more visible over greater distance than white light in daylight conditions. Safety on the road starts with seeing and being seen. White light might be better for seeing, but a yellower light is more conspicuous for being seen.
One Australian study found:
Bright yellow turn signal DRLs should be
encouraged for motorcycles. These should have an
on-axis luminous intensity of not less than 1000cd
and not more than 1800cd. Automatic headlights
should also be encouraged so that a light sensor is
used to switch from DRL operation to headlights. To
avoid glare, bright turn signals should not be
continuously illuminated at night.
In Australia bright yellow DRLs should be permitted
on motorcycles but should continue to be disallowed
on other vehicles. These would be far more effective
as DRLs than headlights and have the potential to
reduce fatal motorcycle crashes by more than 13%.
It seems related to latitude and brightness of the day as well, with selective yellow being far more visible in the tropics and under bright daylight conditions, where white light has limited visibility.
For visibility, yellow to amber to orange you were designed to improve visibility during off-road/dirt road use in dust and misty conditions. It worked so well that more and more riders started using them on-road as well. When I filter cars open up for me. A very large number of bikes in SA fit such covers for this reason. The very bright sunny conditions make white light not so visible.
Although there is legal debate about it, in our traffic code it states:
181. Colour of lights
*
(1) Subject to the provisions of regulation 170 (1), 171 (1), 172, 175 or 176, no person shall operate
on a public road a motor vehicle which is fitted with or carries on it a lamp which—
except in the case of a brake anti-lock warning light to the front of a trailer, emits a light
which is not white, amber or yellow in colour towards the front;*
Because another section of the law states emit a clear white light it is a grey area and incites some traffic cops to tray and solicit bribes if you don't know the regulations. I don't know of anyone who ever paid a fine for it. If one is ever issued it gets overturned.
It should be legal in Europe. French cars used to have yellow lights.