Visibility of Cyclists at Night: Laboratory Evaluation of Three Rear Warning Devices

Abstract

The relative effectiveness of three bicycle rear warning devices (a red light, a red reflector and amber pedal reflectors) was evaluated using slides of nighttime traffic scenes. Situational variables of target lane position and distance and visual complexity of the scene were also manipulated. Performance was assessed in terms of detection accuracy and response latency. For both measures the red light was shown to be most effective in relatively difficult detection situations (distant target, noisy scene). At closer distances the three devices produced approximately equal performance rates that were all significantly higher than for a cycle that carried no rear warning equipment.