Had another close call with a SUV almost rear-ending me. This is the second time an Escalade yuppie, with cell phone in one hand and latte in the other, looked over/beyond me until it was almost too late.
I had to do something to increase my visibility. I ordered the brightest (red) LX-5 LED bulbs from
www.superbrightleds.com to replace the tail/brake light and third stop light. The LED bulbs are a better fit than standard bulbs (the socket is 0.5 mm wider) and what a difference these make! Quality of manufacturing was surprisingly very good and I hope these will last years as LEDs should.
I measured almost a 20% increase in light output (using a Minolta IIIF light-meter). The visibility is greatly improved. The standard bulbs have a hot-spot in the center with uneven light distribution, these evenly fill the housing with bright light (like European rear fog lights).
I can recommend these to anybody concerned with being rear-ended. I tried to capture the difference photographically and will try to attach the image.