On Mon, 1 Dec 2008 23:22:58 -0000, "Mortimer" wrote:

"PeterG" wrote in message
...

If a car driver had had a dim light showing you would expect him to
be pulled over, why should it be any different for a cyclist.
Like all road users he should check his light before he made his
journey.

True. However it is possible for a battery to go flat or a bulb to fail
during the journey. How often is one supposed to stop and re-check a light
*during* a journey to make sure that it is *still* correctly lit?

Quite right - it's a pity he could not have said - "Sorry officer - it
was OK when I set out - I'll put in the replacement battery which I
carry with me"