The tendency of motorists to overtake bicycles too close, a dangerous habit more often the result of inattention than malice, is addressed by the Brightside – a sideways-facing cycle light.
When cycle insurer the ETA asked 800 cyclists to name their least favourite aspect of life on two wheels, 52% named ‘cars and lorries passing too close’ as their number one complaint.
The USB-chargeable amber Brightside lights clip to the frame or handlebar stem. The idea is to illuminate the ‘blind spot’ where a bike’s front or rear light is not visible to motorists, which is particularly useful if you are waiting to make a turn.
The lights sell for £29.99
Side lighting for cyclists
Win a Brightside side light
We have a Brightside light to give away. Simple leave a comment at the bottom of the page to enter the draw.
Need a set of lights? Look on the bright side
There’s never been a better time to buy a good set of bicycle lights. The advent of LED technology has resulted has revolutionised cycle lighting. Cheap, robust and bright, the lights are being used in ever-more creative ways. LEDs can now be found incorporated into gloves, jackets and now embedded into bicycle wheel rims.
Bicycle lights are brighter than ever before. The most powerful LED, Xenon strobe and high-intensity discharge (HID) bicycle lights are more powerful than a standard car headlamp, but for less than £10 you can buy a light that’s more than powerful enough for urban commuting. The best rear light we’ve come across this year is the Cree LED, which retails for a very reasonable £7.99 from the Wilkinson website. If you team two of these rear lights, you get an effect comparable with set-ups costing ten times as much.
Protection for you and your bike
ETA Cycle Insurance never devalues your bike, doesn’t charge extra for things like third party liability, personal accident or friends and family cover, and has a sympathetic policy on storage in sheds and garages.
For 25 years we have been providing straightforward, affordable bicycle insurance and in 2015 we were rated ethical in Britain.
Find out more about why we are different. Get an instant quote or call our friendly team on 0333 000 1234.
Andy
Hmmm. The problem is in that video is that a car approaching on the main road (from the camera direction) would see a flashing amber light which would normally show that a vehicle was intending to turn right out of the junction. Then the cyclist turns left. Cue confusion and car driver passing the cyclist and likely calling them an idiot….
mark d’emmanuele
Looks useful
David Smith
What a great idea! Having been cut up twice this week, I can appreciate its usefulness!
Captain Beany
As Monty Python once sang – ‘Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life’! 🙂
Ray Tyers
Great Idea and whilst you can never put a price on saving your life at the affordable price point of this it seems pretty short sighted not to fit one, The short sighted motorist however will still be able to see you !.
Andy
Interesting idea in principle
Graham
Hopefully it has a static mode as well as flashing? Could be useful if so.
Kev
I think I’d be tempted to use one in the daytime, too.
Chris Palomba
All sides protected, that’s great!
Gina
I agree with Andy. I expected the cyclist in the video to turn right. Is the product even legal? Though side illumination is a great idea. Maybe pink is the way forward 🙂
Jamie J
I’d like to indicate an interest…
Tom O’Toole
Anything that helps motorists be more aware of cyclists is welcome.
Eric Ludlow
Now if it emitted a ray that immobilized a vehicle if it passed too close, that would be useful….
Lisa lambert
A good idea the more lights the better . Visibility is key for road users.
Tony Jones
Hmmm. Not convinced.
I’ve always thought chariot style swords sticking out from my wheels might be effective.
Carl Penny
Great Idea, Looks like flashing indicators to a driver from the side, which I guess is part of the point 🙂
Anna Shakoor-Green
Brightside is worth a look, I think 🙂
mark stack
any cyclist on a main road using this at night would appear to be a slow moving vehicle indicating to turn?
approaching a roundabout would be interesting!? and i doubt you’d survive
can’t legal in the uk and a total death trap!
Jonathan Gillett
…and the motorists still wont see you.
Phil
A bright idea
Naomi Church
My partner usually takes the train and Brompton to get to work, but once a week when the weather is fine he likes to cycle the whole way. The mornings can be beautiful. But in the evenings I know that on the fen roads he uses, he could be knocked of his bike and die in a ditch, and the driver would probably think he’d just hit a pothole. I try to get him to light up, and he does, but from experience of going out at night to look for a cyclist in the car, I know they are really hard to see in the dark – especially with the glare on oncoming lights. I’d be interested to how visible this side lamp would make him. When cars cut him up, he shakes his fist and rages, but only the driver behind can see.
Duncan Campbell
This bright idea is sure to keep cyclists shiny side up!
Soen
I prefer my monkeylectric M232’s:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I98606iygOs
Rob Lewis
I would like one of these!
George Chapman
Yes please!
Elinor
Ok it may cause a little confusion, but the point is that a driver must have seen the light to be confused – at which point the light has achieved its purpose as the driver is aware of the cyclist. Looks like a great idea to solve a far too common problem – I would love to try one!
Andy
Like to try
Katherine
Hmmm, it looks useful apart from the fact that it’s an amber flashing light which could be confusing. However, the idea is a good one, way too many motorists pass too close, often so close you can reach out and touch the car, never a fun experience.
Mark B
Surely a flashing amber light is going to cause confusion. As far as I am aware it’s already fairly well accepted as being an indicator. A nice idea but ill thought out I think.
Wynn
Anything that creates greater visibility has got to be good
Su
Assuming it has a non-flash setting, it looks really useful.
Jimmy
Possibly a life saver!
Keith Graham
Looks good and well worth a try.
TheCyclist
Flashing lights turn me on. Love it when cars see me in advance.
No lite = no see = bad.
Lite = see = good.
Clare Lovatt
Great idea. I think about how to resolve this every time I ride in heavy traffic. It makes it so much more stressful. My idea was a light on a stick!?
jonathan crew
That is a very good idea
Pete G
Steady amber and a control to flash one side when turning would be better + legal.
phil
mixed feelings as reflected in the comments so far. it would probably be easier for motorists to interpret this light if it was in the constant ( ie non flashing) mode. a better idea is to have a sideways facing light on your helmet. this flashes red and white and draws attention of the motorist who then has to think what it means as it does not automatically appear to be a vehicle turning right. I had one of theese from a shop but it was unreliable i now have one from lidls that i am yet to fit
Rory Harkins
I’ll give that a go
Keith
Sounds like a great idea
Dick Willis
Great idea, I’d like one (please)
Paul Gowers
A first rate safety idea UK CYCLING is getting into the mainstream… From one of the mainstream ethical cycling insurance organisations
Yul Emirali
I’ll have one.
matteob
would be very useful for my early commute!
martin kaye
Don’t see how this would help in preventing cars overtaking too close. As far as coming out of a side road is concerned, the sequence of lights would be confusing. Better to invest in a Monkeylight. I have one and they are real traffic stoppers.
Tim
Ooh yes please!
neil
Nice idea could save your life as some car drivers pass way to close!
Doug Milsom
I like the idea, but think that a non-flashing amber light would be potentially less confusing.
Darren C
Not sure how it would stop cars overtaking too close when it is front mounted and pointing at 90 degrees to the direction of travel. Rear facing and located at the ends of the handlebars would surely make a cyclists width more visible.
Alex R
I’ll give it a try….
Ian Harvey
Would love to try this on my daily commute through the busy London roads at 4am.
Chris
Looks interesting.
Stuart Lamb
Nice. Could help with some of the near misses I’ve had at junctions
Ian Ramsey
Anything to improve visibility is appreciated here in London! Ha, I look like the Blackpool illuminations most evenings these days…
Elspeth
Looks good to me!
Charlotte
Is there a constant light option? That way it won’t look like an indicator. I’d love to try one out though!
Ron
Strikes me people who would want to win one of these lights would send in a favourable comment, but just to redress the balance…..
.This “invention” appears so useless I feel I must be missing something.
In the video, the onus is on the cyclist not to pull out unless the road is clear, so why confuse oncoming drivers with side lighting?.
As for overtaking, in my experience at night, drivers see my tail light from half a mile away and leave adequate space when overtaking. The flashing light will not enter their field of vision until the overtaking manoeuvre is half completed, too late to correct an error by that time.
During the day when visiblity is better they pass closer, but a sideways facing light will not be seen in daylight.
ETA
You make a good point. For the record, all products we offer as a prize on this website, we buy ourselves – so you are always welcome to be as critical as you like
Barbara
Definitely worth a try
Tony Whitfield
Agree with Andy. Confusing drivers even more, especially at night, and at junctions does not help. Could always be used only on straight sections of road I suppose? Good though that devices are being designed to address the problem. I could probably have the sun stapled to my backside to no effect…Oh the joys (danger) of commuting to work on dual carriageways and generally in the UK….. 🙂
Brightside Bike Lights
Hello – I’m not sure if this is a good idea or if it’ll be seen but it’s worth a try. Brightside was invented as a result of a near miss – side on with a cyclist. He almost vanished when he turned his headlight away from me. – “no light – no see”
To answer some questions –
Yes there is a constant mode.
The colour needed to be amber – it’s recognized and legal.
Yes it’s the same colour as in indicator – but all vehicles have side markers – even trailers.
The object was lust get noticed side on – If a driver does a double take, it’s achieved it’s objective.
Well over half of a bike is unlit. Lots spent on front lights, less on the rear where you can’t see and none on the side (until now!)
Thanks
Brightside