A decree forces cyclists to use light sobriety

One of the Cycling safety rules that we repeat throughout videos and tests on Numerama is simple to remember: be seen! This is why we insist on the quality of the lighting on the bikes we test and why our guides recommend good headlights for your two-wheeled vehicles. This is also one of the advantages of electric bikes: most come with generous lighting and powered by the main battery.

The Highway Code amended to force cyclists to be sober

That said, it is not uncommon to come across cyclists on the road who have taken this recommendation a little too much to heart. Until you take a step too far: the front headlight becomes a sun that dazzles more than it signals and the rear light is an oppressive strobe. These “Christmas tree” cyclists are feared by motorists, but also by other cyclists, who are just as dazzled, for example on two-way cycle paths.

To regulate the vagueness that existed in the Highway Code regarding these lights and which clearly legitimized the excesses, the censored government of Michel Barnier published a decree which finally clarifies things. If the front light was already well defined on the bike side (white or yellow and fixed), the rear light was poorly framed. These hesitations disappear in decree no. 2024-1074 of November 27, 2024 which modifies the Highway Code, spotted by Cleanrider and confirmed by Frandroid.

Two things to remember:

• The rear light “must not be flashing”, like the front light.
• The cyclist can carry lights with him that have the same characteristics as those on the bicycle. In other words, you can have a vest or helmet with a fixed white light on the front and a fixed red light on the back.

This decree is welcome, because poorly equipped bicycles are not uncommon. It is also a conformity which allows us to resume Pavlovian driving reflexes: fixed white front light and fixed red rear light are memorized by the brain as the front and rear of a vehicle.

There remains one last problem that it will be up to cyclists to resolve: correctly direct the light towards the road. Otherwise, the lighting, even in the right color and without being a Christmas tree, will end up blinding users coming in front. To help you equip yourself with the right accessories, we have written a complete guide to bicycle lighting. Up to you !