Do you love cycling at night? Well, you need to make sure you are safe when out on the road. Here are some of the best ways to keep safe when cycling at night.
1 Install Lights On Your Bike
It is a legal requirement to have lights on your bike when cycling at night. When cycling on the road or close to it, you should have a white-colored light on the front of the bike and a red light at the rear of the bike. If you are going off-road riding, you don’t really need a light legally. However, since these areas are poorly lit, you need to add more lights on your bike for better visibility.
Note that the lighting should have the right lumens. It is a unit of the brightness of the light to the human eye. The moderate lumens for the red light at the rear of the bike should be about 5 to 100 lumens. The white light at the front of the bike should range from 10 to 6000 lumens.
2. Check The Batteries
Your lights will produce more power depending on the charge. You can charge the lights using a USB port. If your light has thousands of lumens, it should have a fitted charging unit attached to the frame on your bike. If you want to get to your destination safely, make sure that the lights are fully charged and have enough power at all times.
3. Helmet Lamp
Do you love riding in heavy traffic? Well, a helmet lamp is also necessary. The helmet lamp moves when you move your head. If a driver doesn’t notice the bike on the road, he/she will notice the helmet lamp. Make sure the helmet lamp is fitted properly to avoid becoming a hazard when you fall off since it might weaken the helmet and put your head at risk.
4. High-Visibility Clothes And Reflection Strips
When cycling at night, you should always wear tops in bright colors and reflective strips. That way drivers and pedestrians will see you. Choose bright colors such as orange, yellow, pink or green for the best visibility.
Reflective strips are highlighted when cars shine their headlights on you. Consider placing a reflective strip on your ankle, backpack or the rear part of your helmet. Visit Premier Glow for a range of LED products to help you be seen. If you don’t have a backpack, you should have a reflective strip on your top or jacket.
5. Inform Someone Of Your Night Ride
When going out with the bike, you should inform someone close to you. Don’t leave home without your smartphone so you can turn on the tracker and make it easy to be located. Riding out your bike is very vulnerable and when you are knocked off the bike by a vehicle, the driver might not stop.
6. Ride With A Friend
If you are riding back home or to work, you can find a friend who rides the same route as you and do it together. It’s the best guarantee to increase your visibility to other road users thereby reducing the risk of getting into an accident.
Even better, you can find a cycling group in your area and join it. You can do it with the group a few nights every week and get the safety you need while on the road. Also, the other riders will watch out for you while you are on the road and avoid accidents.
7. Plan Your Route Beforehand
Plan to ride on the roads you know so you can avoid being disoriented in the dark. If you ride on roads you don’t know, you can go for a long distance before you notice that you are lost. If you know the road, you should be able to anticipate the holes or obstacles in the road as well as the junctions.
With these tips, your night rides will be safe and enjoyable!
