Walking with a Strobe

I could see why having a strobe mode on a light intended for outdoor use could come in handy, as a distress signal or position marker. But, I thought that having a strobe on a everyday utility light was just a sales gimmick. The only real use I could think of for it would be as a marker for a broke down vehicle. Even then, why not just use the vehicle's own flashers?

However, after owning lights with strobes for several months, I've changed my mind about their usefulness. Now, I use the strobe mode daily and am glad to have it. When I go out for an evening walk, I carry a light in my hand, switched off, with the lens facing forward. There are plenty of street lights and house lights in my neighborhood, so most of the time the the light stays off. But, it is ready to instantly light up any questionable area ahead.

My neighborhood doesn't have sidewalks and although traffic isn't that heavy in the evening, the occasional car does pass by. I've always relied on switching on my light when a car approaches, to increase my visibility. Lately, I've taken to switching on my light in strobe mode.

Cars give me a wider berth when the driver sees a strobe, rather than a steady light, and they seem to slow down more, which isn't a bad thing. Has anyone else noticed this effect on drivers? Anyone else use a strobe to warn approaching cars?

I do carry a light that has a strobe when I walk at night, and have thought of using it that way if needed, but haven't had the need as yet (I'm on the footpath most of the time). I've seen mention by others here that the Gladius strobe has been very useful in making pedestrians easily visible to careless drivers when a normal steady light got lost amongst all the other headlights etc.

One point worth keeping in mind however is that drunk drivers tend to automatically steer towards flashing lights. This is a well known phenomenon to EMS folks; eg https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/137579

Andrew

As a driver, I would find a moving strobe light on the side of the road distracting, and depending on the intensity and frequency, possibly make it a bit more difficult to track the person it is attached to.

KuoH

A couple of slow taps on a momentary tailcap switch could do the same thing.

But I've seen the strobe feature on the Gladius. It's meant to confuse and disorient. A fast strobe could distract a driver, and cause him to take his eyes off the road.

I've found that turning on a light as cars get close seems to work far better than having it or anything else on while walking.

I also recently had a "vest" made of illuminite. I rounded a corner as a large truck came speeding up and he slowed down very fast. I also had one person stop and ask what it was. Far more response than any other reflective vest I've owned.