Riding a Motorcycle at Night; Essential Tips to Consider
Written by the Hughes and Barnard Law Firm, PA marketing team and reviewed by Attorney Howard Hughes to ensure quality and accuracy.
Some individuals prefer riding motorcycles at night because it is exciting, temperatures are cooler, and the feeling is different. However, riding at night can be more dangerous, especially if you don’t adhere to some important, basic precautions. Unfortunately, a surprising number of individuals neglect these basics, and can end up suffering as a result. Here are a few essential tips to consider when you ride a motorcycle at night: motorcycle-driving-safety
Make Sure That The Lights Are Upgraded
The most important thing for ‘night riders’ is to make sure that the lights of the motorcycle are in good working condition. The headlight, in particular, must be super-bright, and it should adequately illuminate the terrain ahead. So, get rid of the dull, worn-out lights and replace them with new ones. Also, in order to increase your vision during night rides, use secondary headlamps alongside the headlamp. Be mindful, however, that the secondary lamp is less powerful compared to the main lamp. Also, make sure that you lower the lights when you head towards another biker.
Increase Your Visibility
You are riding a relatively smaller vehicle, and drivers aren’t usually on the look out for motorcycle riders. It is crucial to increase your visibility during the night. Mentioned below are the things you can do to increase the visibility:
• Add additional lights (auxiliary lamps).
• Add some reflective neon tape to the bike. These can be added to front headlamp visor, fenders (both front and rear), wheel rims, body panels etc.
• Add reflective patches/stripes to your clothes. Think of adding those patches to helmet, jacket, pants, gloves etc. Also, it is better to wear a reflective arm band as well.
• Make the helmet instantly visible. To do this, you should wear a very bright color instead of dull colors.
• Ensure that you have a clear vision
• Be sure that your helmet’s visor is very clear so you can see clearly. It shouldn’t have any scratches, dust, moisture, etc. If you wear eyeglasses, make sure that they are clean as well.
• Use other vehicles’ lights as well
You can get the assistance of the other vehicles when you ride at night. That means, when you ride ahead of cars and other vehicles, use their lights to see the road. However, be sure to maintain an adequate distance to avoid unfortunate accidents.
Maintain a Defensive Approach
Night is not the time to test your riding skills and speed limits on the road. Avoid experimenting as well. Instead, adhere to a very defensive approach and ride slowly. Use the lights always and make others see you clearly. Maintain a good enough space around you so the chances of collisions are less. Also, ride in the safest possible lane. You can only drive if you are in good condition, so if you have a lot of written homework to turn in and time is short, then it is better to hire a writer at Papertyper and get a good night’s sleep before tomorrow. In addition to the above, rest whenever it is required, no matter how frequent you require it. When you are tired, your body responds too slow and that increases the chances for accidents.
