If you visit other industrialized countries, many Americans are struck by how "dark" they are at night. I worked in Japan for a while, and although the business districts may be lit up like you see on TV or in movies, the residential neighborhoods are quite dimly lit compared to urban American neighborhoods and many parts are totally unlit. With so many people using public transit in Japan, there are certainly more people walking or riding bikes home from the train station in Japan, so Lono's point is well taken.

Or even when I lived in NYC, foot traffic definitely makes an area safer. Having bodegas open all night for people wanting to buy a pack of smokes or a snack or whatever certainly helps with the foot traffic, although all-night businesses in most parts of the US seem to just attract the "wrong" kind of crowd. I wouldn't want to hang out in many 7-11 parking lots late at night in many areas.

I would love to have my area declared "over lighted" and all of the excess done away with. I might actually be able to use my telescope to view the heavens from my back yard again!

How do they get around after dark? Are they limited to vehicles or do they carry flashlights?

Wouldn't is just be our dream world to actually have to NEED our EDC flashlights every night?! I use mine daily, but I could probably do without it if I absolutely had to. But if they killed all the excess lighting that keeps the sky bright enough to not have to depend on a flashlight, wouldn't that be neat! The advances in flashlights are coming quick these days. Think of how fast those innovations would come if the average Joe had a flashlight as a mandatory carry item every day of their lives!

It's not as dark as you might think, especially if you have just stepped outside from a well lit room. Give your eyes time to adapt, usually around 30 minutes, and you will realize that there is alot of ambient light. On a night with a full moon, I have been able to read a newspaper.

LED light available now are simply marvelous - dependable, light, and long lived, often with variable brightness. My small AAA EDC will provide enough light long enough to enable me to walk all night.

LOL, you just get used to it, and no, you don't typically walk around with a flashlight. And I'm not saying every street is totally dark--many are just less illuminated than a typical American street. Personally, I never really appreciated just how bright a full moon can be until spending time living in such an environment.

Having spent much of my youth hiking in the mountains and woods, some of that at night, I got used to protecting and using my night vision. Unlit streets seem very bright to me most of the time.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008494010_bluelight11.html

Wow! Blue lights! Let's all join hands and sing Kum Bay Yah....

People need to realize that the police don't have a duty to actually protect you ...

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/28/politics/28scotus.html

I'll leave the politics out of it, but a lot of people are under the misperception that police are mandated to call when help is needed.