On 6/27/2010 12:42 PM, cshenk wrote:
> "J. Clarke" wrote
>> cshenk wrote:
>
>>>> If a headlight shining into a rear view mirror is blinding a driver in
>>>> daylight that driver has something wrong with him. And the modulator
>>>> doesn't "spike it".
>
>>> JC, it was at night.
>
>> A legal modulator has a light sensor that turns it off at night.
>
> Ah, there should be no problem at all then. I'd actually *appreciate*
> this device in daytime. It would help me see them even better.
>
>>> I don't ride a motorcycle. Several co-workers do and that's how I heard
>>> about it. They used the term 'modulator' and said it basically flashes
>>> the level higher and lower. If that is right (keep in mind, I don't have
>>> a motorbike) they said 'spike'.
>>
>> A surprising number of motorcyclists don't know much about motorcycling.
>
> Hehehe!
>
>> The modulator reduces the intensity on a regular cycle. That's all it
>> does.
>
> Ah. The one in the paper was a night guy driver who apparently was
> flashing higher than normal car level beams. That was my take on it.
>
>> Now that doesn't mean that somebody somewhere doesn't make an illegal
>> device that overdrives the headlight for the purpose of annoying
>> people--there's a certain segment of the motorcycling community that
>> feels that they have a God-given duty to be obnoxious pests--but
>> that's not safety equipment, that's bling.
>
> Yup. The guys at work were pretty disparaging of the local biker in this
> incident.
>
>>> I mean no harm. I just want to warn you if you didnt already know that
>>> there is a safe level, and an unsafe one. Too much of it can distract
>>> the driver ahead of you and cause an accident which then you get wrapped
>>> up in (or killed by).
>>
>> Sorry if I seemed to snap at you.
>
> It's ok. I do see the variable lights in day here. It actually makes
> them more visible which helps alot. At night, they seem to shift too but
> not to blinding brights except the rare one.
>
> Want to **** me off? I get ****ed when folks tailgate bikes. Tailgating
> is the style here but as dangerous as it is, it's far worse when someone
> is on a bike and tailgating them in a 'monster truck' or 'SUV'.
>

Unfortunately lots of fluffed up truck drivers totally fit the
stereotype that they are more important than you and you should simply
get out of their way even if for no purpose such as when there is a line
of cars in front of you.

And it even extends to non motorized bikes. A friend is a strong cyclist
and he had to negotiate a traffic circle type intersection. One of the
requirements of the motor vehicle code in every state I am familiar with
is that a cyclist should take the lane if there is an unsafe situation
(narrow road, complex traffic etc). And it is only a few milliseconds
cost for the following driver because a normal cyclist can easily do
the speed limit on such roads. He took the lane and a women in a giant
SUV simply knocked him down trying to save those two milliseconds trying
to get past him. Fortunately for the public she then stopped her truck
and got out and started yelling at him for being on "her road". This is
while he was on the ground bleeding and unable to move because of his
injuries. When she was stopped a sensible person stopped to offer help
and got the license number and snapped some pictures which will likely
lead to criminal prosecution.