Transcript
One of the biggest things you can do for yourself to stay safe while on your bike at night is the gear that you wear. The temptation to wear all black and be cool motorcycle guy is of course great. However, there’s plenty of motorcycling apparel out there that will include retroreflective materials that will help you stay conspicuous at night.
The single most noticeable piece of equipment that a motorcyclist wears is the helmet, so if you are going to wear something menacing in black, make sure it’s got at least one or two pieces of high vis color, to help other motorcyclists, other car drivers, truckers, pedestrians, notice you as you approach them down the road.
Aside from actual driving techniques that keep you safe day to day, whether it’s night or during the day, certain techniques and equipment on your bike, like running your high beams during sunrise and sunset, or low light periods, will help you get noticed and safe from other motorists. Always make sure that you place yourself while riding in a position that keeps you noticed and visible, and making sure that your headlights illuminate far enough in front of you, and that you’re riding at a pace and speed that does not overrun what you can see from your motorcycle’s headlights.
If you can’t see far enough to what you’re going to avoid a hazard at night, then you are going too fast. Slow it down, make sure you are not overriding the beams of your motorcycle’s headlights.
Keep in mind that you are much smaller than a car to begin with, so everything that you can do to get yourself noticed, especially when it’s harder to see at night, goes a long way.
