Al
I agree with your take on making it legal on the books – I’d sign a petition for it. Very specific information regarding minimum/maximum brightness would have to be covered too.
Have you checked the lights available in the bike shops/online? Motor vehicle lights have to be at a certain level correct (sorry, no car here so I don’t know)? How would the sale of lights be checked…I wouldn’t want a new rider to buy a light then get a ticket because it’s not the correct brightness level. Interesting, the RCW of WA states that the State Patrol has authority over headlamp regulation/sales…RCW 46.37.320.
I agree with the steady/flashing idea since I’ve personally found that combo the best, especially at dawn/twilight.
Since I’ve seen lots of posts in general about too bright flashing lights on trails, maybe cycling is becoming more popular – a good thing. And with experience comes changing how one negotiates their ride/route. Learning that a flash isn’t always helpful (I agree with you here to a point…) and when to use it and when not to is also an educational change – this is where it’s sticky. How to go about both a legal and education change?