Open Letter to the Person Who Stole My New Bike Headlight

Dear Bicycle-Light-Thief,

I wanted to write to you regarding your theft of the headlight off my fixed-gear commuter bike on the evening of November 11th. Unfortunately, I left my key for my
u-lock at the office and therefore was unable to unlock my bike for the
ride home from the train that evening. Fortunately for you this gave you
an opportunity to acquire a brand new bike headlight.

Originally I was mad that the light was stolen, but then I realized that perhaps you needed a light and were unable to afford one. Perhaps you were like
the character Jean Valjean in Les Miserables and stealing was an
amoral necessity. And like the literary hero who stole bread to feed his
family you stole a headlight so that you could ride safely at night.

Most importantly, your new headlight (which has a brand new battery in it, by the way) ironically allows you to abide by the law. Bicyclists riding at nighttime in Illinois must have the following on their bikes*:
  1. A lamp on the front that emits a white light that can be seen for 500 feet; and
  2. A red reflector visible from 100 to 600 feet by a car with its headlights on. 
I sincerely hope you put the headlight to good use and it keeps you safe.
And hopefully the next time you need a piece of equipment that helps
you ride legally and at less of a risk for getting injured you just ask
me, I'd be happy to help you out. Ride safe.

                                                                                    Sincerely,     
                         
                                                                                    Mike Keating
                                                                                    The Illinois Bicycle Lawyer

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Julie Aberman (Hochstadter) on November 17, 2010 at 9:07am
great letter!
Permalink Reply by Jason W on November 17, 2010 at 10:47am
Wait, I thought the law said reflector and/or light in back. I just run a light in back. Is that technically illegal?
Permalink Reply by S on November 17, 2010 at 11:02am


Jason W said:
Wait, I thought the law said reflector and/or light in back. I just run a light in back. Is that technically illegal?

I have the same question. It'd suck to get a ticket (as unlikely as that seems) because I have a red light on the back and not a reflector.

Permalink Reply by David on November 17, 2010 at 11:49am
I do the same, and I'm pretty sure it's technically illegal. Check out 625 ILCS 5/11‑1507 in the vehicle code, and you'll find

A lamp emitting a red light visible from a distance of 500 feet to the rear may be used in addition to the red reflector.

Which is completely braindead as stated, but seems to be the law. What's really weird about this is that if you google the above, you'll find out that this exact wording appears in the vehicle code for a lot of different states. I assume this wording showed up in one of the major bike orgs' sample bike regulations or else everybody just copied from a really stupid state legislature. I'd really love to know who was responsible for this originally.



Jason W said:
Wait, I thought the law said reflector and/or light in back. I just run a light in back. Is that technically illegal?
Permalink Reply by lauren sailor on November 17, 2010 at 12:10pm
don't worry, guys, your red light most likely has a reflector built in.

and MK, maybe i'm misunderstanding your narrative, but it sounds like you get home with a train and a bike ride. it seems like you finished your train ride, then got to your bike and put your light on before realizing you didn't have your U-lock key. why wouldn't you then remove the light before your dejected walk home?

the only other interpretation i can muster is that you left your light on your bike all day at the train station, then left it there all night and, for some reason, expected it to be there when you returned?? i know people can seem nice here in the midwest, but chicago is still #3 in the country for bike theft. if you want to just give lights to people who are breaking the law, maybe you could pitch in with the ATA's light giveaway efforts next time?
Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on November 17, 2010 at 5:43pm
Red tail lights almost always have reflectors built in.

lauren sailor said:
don't worry, guys, your red light most likely has a reflector built in.
Permalink Reply by Mike Keating on November 18, 2010 at 7:43am


David said:
I do the same, and I'm pretty sure it's technically illegal. Check out 625 ILCS 5/11‑1507 in the vehicle code, and you'll find

A lamp emitting a red light visible from a distance of 500 feet to the rear may be used in addition to the red reflector.

Which is completely braindead as stated, but seems to be the law. What's really weird about this is that if you google the above, you'll find out that this exact wording appears in the vehicle code for a lot of different states. I assume this wording showed up in one of the major bike orgs' sample bike regulations or else everybody just copied from a really stupid state legislature. I'd really love to know who was responsible for this originally.



Jason W said:
Wait, I thought the law said reflector and/or light in back. I just run a light in back. Is that technically illegal?

Below is a post from my blog, www.IllinoisBicycleLaw.com, that I did almost exactly a year ago at daylight savings time. The law about bike lights is very awkwardly written. Laws are literally written by the Legislative Reference Bureau in Springfield and then reviewed by the staff attorneys before being put to a vote and then signed into law. I was one of those staff attorneys in 2004. I agree that this could be more specifically written. At some point there may be a chance to "clean" up the language. I'll talk to Dan Persky at Active Trans as well as the Illinois State Bar Association about seeing if we can get it cleared up.

Here's the post:

Daylight Savings time is in effect again and the days are getting shorter and shorter. The combination of shorter days and the adjustment for Daylight Savings means that Illinois bicyclists who commute to work via their bikes will be riding home in the dark. It is important to note that a headlight not only gives you greater visibility while riding and makes you more visible to drivers, but it is the law. Bicyclists riding at nighttime must have the following on their bikes*:

1. A lamp on the front that emits a white light that can be seen for 500 feet; and
2. A red reflector visible from 100 to 600 feet by a car with its headlights on.

Curiously, this Section also provides that a red light visible from 500 feet may be used in conjunction with the rear red reflector. This is somewhat awkward because it would make sense to allow a red light visible from 500 feet instead of a red reflector that may only be visible from as little as 100 feet. I'll give the drafters of this law the benefit of the doubt and conclude that this addition was to encourage bicyclists to use red lights on their bikes. In any event, the law (as well as sound safety measures) require the use of a headlight and a reflector and at least encourages the use of a rear red light. With winter nights approaching, the use of a headlight and a taillight will get you home safely - and legally.

*Section 11-1507 of the Illinois Motor Vehicle Code (a/k/a "The Rules of the Road) reads as follows:
(625 ILCS 5/11‑1507) (from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 11‑1507) - Lamps and other equipment on bicycles.

(a) Every bicycle when in use at nighttime shall be equipped with a lamp on the front which shall emit a white light visible from a distance of at least 500 feet to the front and with a red reflector on the rear of a type approved by the Department which shall be visible from all distances from 100 feet to 600 feet to the rear when directly in front of lawful lower beams of headlamps on a motor vehicle. A lamp emitting a red light visible from a distance of 500 feet to the rear may be used in addition to the red reflector.
Permalink Reply by Mike Keating on November 18, 2010 at 7:48am


lauren sailor said:
don't worry, guys, your red light most likely has a reflector built in.

and MK, maybe i'm misunderstanding your narrative, but it sounds like you get home with a train and a bike ride. it seems like you finished your train ride, then got to your bike and put your light on before realizing you didn't have your U-lock key. why wouldn't you then remove the light before your dejected walk home?

the only other interpretation i can muster is that you left your light on your bike all day at the train station, then left it there all night and, for some reason, expected it to be there when you returned?? i know people can seem nice here in the midwest, but chicago is still #3 in the country for bike theft. if you want to just give lights to people who are breaking the law, maybe you could pitch in with the ATA's light giveaway efforts next time?

Lauren, you are right in that I absentmindedly left the light on my bike overnight at the Metra station. In my haste to get home I didn't get the light off of my bike. However, at the WORST this makes me careless or absentminded. The person who stole my bike light, on the other hand, is a plain old-fashioned thief. In other words, a criminal. A petty criminal, but a criminal nonetheless. Just because I left my light (which was secured with black duct tape, by the way) doesn't give anyone the right to take the light.

And as far as contributing to Active Trans' efforts, I assure you that they know that I am always at their service and am happy to help in any way I can.
Permalink Reply by Active Transportation Alliance on November 18, 2010 at 8:55am
Hey all, Jason at Active Trans here. I'm our Education Specialist.

Just wanted to weigh in and say that actually it is not the case that most red rear lights are also reflective. Most rear red lights do not have the reflective properties that meet the minimum legal requirements. Many have a grid like pattern embedded in the lens that would lead one to believe that they are reflective, but that is not the case. The grid is there only to distribute the light exiting the lamp.

While red taillights are always recommended and have been proven to aid drivers in detecting (but not necessarily recognizing) bicyclists earlier, a red rear reflector should still be used as a baseline for a couple of reasons:

1. A reflector almost never runs out of batteries, get stolen, dropped, broken, left at home etc..

and

2. Studies have shown that as a car approaches a bicyclist from the rear at night, the brighter lights of the cars headlamps tend to overpower the weaker LED lights of the cyclists light diminishing their effectiveness at close range. However the light reflected back by attached reflectors does sustain the cyclists enhances visibility. So it's recommended to always use both so as to have the full gamut at your disposal.

To my knowledge the only two taillights available on the U.S. market that have a built in CPSC reflector are the Cateye “Reflex”:

and the Portland Design Works "BOT" series including the “RADBOT 1000” and the “Fenderbot”:


Hope that helps!
Permalink Reply by Melanie K on November 18, 2010 at 10:28am
Planet Bike Rack Blinky 5

Rear Rack and Seatpost Mounts included
300% brighter eXtreme LEDs
5 Super-bright LEDs and built-in parabolic reflector provide visibility for up to 1 mile
Flashing and steady mode
Ultra compact case is weatherproof, light weight and durable
Up to 100 hours of run time on 2AAA batteries (included)


This might not be CPSC reflector, but it does seem to work as a reflector when the light is off.
Permalink Reply by Leah on November 18, 2010 at 11:15am
sorry mike - the same thing happened to me... twice. eventually i wizened up and got a headlight where the mount stays attached to the bike and the headlight itself detaches, so i can take it inside whenever i go in. like your post mentions, though: now i just have to remember to detach it :)
Permalink Reply by T.C. O'Rourke on November 18, 2010 at 5:38pm
I do think Lauren's post lacked tact, considering you are the victim here. I have no love for thieves and wish that those stealing property were more harshly dealt with.

However, you are basically stating you leave the light on the bike all the time, which is even worse than she assumed. Electrical tape isn't much of a theft deterrent, which was proven here. Hell, I've secured cheap lights into the mounts and filled over screw heads, both with epoxy, and STILL had lights ripped (literally) off my bike, the removal rendering them pretty worthless.

You are not to blame for the theft, but when something like this happens it's good to ask "how could this have been avoided?" and the answer is definitely to take the lights with you... people are running around Metra stations stealing well locked bikes in broad daylight!

Regardless, my deepest condolences, which are good for 1 pint of premium beer at any Chainlink event. (Offer excluded in Alaska & Hawaii.)





Mike Keating said:


lauren sailor said:
don't worry, guys, your red light most likely has a reflector built in.

and MK, maybe i'm misunderstanding your narrative, but it sounds like you get home with a train and a bike ride. it seems like you finished your train ride, then got to your bike and put your light on before realizing you didn't have your U-lock key. why wouldn't you then remove the light before your dejected walk home?

the only other interpretation i can muster is that you left your light on your bike all day at the train station, then left it there all night and, for some reason, expected it to be there when you returned?? i know people can seem nice here in the midwest, but chicago is still #3 in the country for bike theft. if you want to just give lights to people who are breaking the law, maybe you could pitch in with the ATA's light giveaway efforts next time?

Lauren, you are right in that I absentmindedly left the light on my bike overnight at the Metra station. In my haste to get home I didn't get the light off of my bike. However, at the WORST this makes me careless or absentminded. The person who stole my bike light, on the other hand, is a plain old-fashioned thief. In other words, a criminal. A petty criminal, but a criminal nonetheless. Just because I left my light (which was secured with black duct tape, by the way) doesn't give anyone the right to take the light.

And as far as contributing to Active Trans' efforts, I assure you that they know that I am always at their service and am happy to help in any way I can.

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