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Ouch! Sorry to hear about your accident Andyman, but very glad you came out relatively unscathed. Since it sounds like you got the message, I`ll spare you the lecture and just suggest a few general ideas to cure "ninja bike syndrome".
Active lighting (usually battery powered) and inactive (reflectors) are both helpful, and the combination really stands out, can even be fairly inexpensive. A cheap white front light and rear blinky go a long ways towards showing up in the dark even when you aren`t in the direct path of somebody`s headlights. Blinkies last a long time with a pair of AA or AAA batteries. You should be able to find AA or USB-chargeable front lights starting from about $10 these days- if possible, try to find some that you can take out of the package before purchasing to make sure the switch feels good and the battery door (if it has one) closes well and isn`t going to pop open when it isn`t supposed to.
Reflectors only work when somebody is heading almost directly at you, but in that situation, they show up a lot brighter under 50+ watt headlights than even the fanciest and most expensive LED bike lights. I use those reflector vests that you see road construction crews wearing for both daytime and night time riding. After a year or two, the reflector part is still pretty good, but the color fades, making them not so visible in daylight. I like the mesh ones (extra big) so I can wear it commfortably all year over whatever clothes I need for the different seasons. For even more visibility, you can add a bit of reflective tape to your rims and cranks (the rotation really catches drivers attention) or reflective ankle bands.
Ride safe, guys!
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