I've been somewhat dismayed by the recent postings indicating that some people use distress strobes to be more visible on the water. Personally, I think this is a Really Bad Idea, and I'd like to explain why. When car alarms first came out, EVERYONE paid attention to one when it went off. Then everyone got one, and most people mishandled them. Today there is no reaction at all to a car alarm, save possibly occasional annoyance. Cars still get stolen, and their alarms might go off, but so what? The effectiveness of the alarms is gone. For that matter, when you see a windshield sunscreen that says "Need help - call police", do you call the police? Neither does anyone else. Misuse and overuse of the warning made it meaningless. OK, back to strobes. A strobe flashing once per second is currently considered a distress signal. If lots of kayakers start deploying them regularly in an attempt to be seen in the dark, they will cheapen or destroy the significance of a strobe. Someone who is actually in trouble will be unable to attract attention - that's bad! In my opinion, those who would use strobes are gaining a small benefit for themselves at a huge expense to the safety of others. They are turning strobes into the car alarms of the future. That's not prudent or right. If you feel that you have a problem being seen at night, then mount a bright fixed light on a fiberglass mast. Or on your helmet. Or whatever. Power it with D cells. Or a motorcycle battery. Or whatever. Or stay off the water at night! But do not just turn on your strobe because it's simpler and cheaper than real running lights. It's a bad idea, and you could harm the safety of others in the future. OK, off the soapbox, awaiting flames. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
As a safety professional, I would like to second Mark Hunter's opinion on strobes. Safety warnings need to mean one thing to all to be effective and people need to understand the need for immediate response. An analogy to Mark's logic is fire alarms in a building during construction. There are a lot of false alarms, so occupants get used to waiting for the e-mail that says it's another false alarm. In the meantime, if it's a real fire, they are severely compromising their ability to get out safely. No flame from this corner, Mark! Regards, Ellis Head of the Chesapeake Bay *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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