I find that a strong headlight is VERY useful, as it helps you to see the holes and other hazards in the road. Those holes and cracks are no big deal for automobiles, but, for a bike with thin wheels, they can be a real show-stopper.

Here in the U.S. people are much less accustomed to bicyclists on the roads, particularly at night, and having lighting that makes it obvious that a cyclist is present is vital. Riding at night is a high-risk behavior, due to both unaware drivers and poor road conditions. Erik's right, in that having lighting that produces a "What the h*** is that?" reaction doesn't help.

However, no matter what safety gear cyclists have, the use of common sense seems to be in short supply. Cyclists speeding through intersections with stop-signs and even traffic lights, irrespective of the flow of traffic, cyclists zooming down the sidewalks creating hazards for pedestrians, and cyclists riding between the lanes when there's a traffic backup, don't help the public's attitude toward cyclists. The latter case often makes me want to open my car door to catch the fool. I often feel there should be a bounty on cyclists who blatantly ignore traffic laws. Of course, I don't feel that way when I'm a cyclist myself, but then I'm not one who routinely ignores traffic laws when I'm on the bike.

Do cyclists in Europe and the U.K. behave better? How about automobile drivers?

RE