No matter how skilled a rider you may be, there's no stopping the mistakes of other people driving on the road. These mistakes happen more during the night when visibility is low due to darkness as well as the blinding lights of the vehicles coming from the front. Hence, we've brought you a list of 7 things that you can do in order to increase the street visibility of your bike, especially at night.
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Those fluorescent-coloured biking jackets exist for a reason so even if you're not fond of such shades, pick them instead of plain black coloured jackets. This applies to other gear as well. The bright colours definitely increase your visibility to the drivers behind you as well as to oncoming traffic .
The helmet is a great way to make a style statement so don't hesitate to choose bright colours here as well. A red, yellow, or green helmet in neon shades will immediately make you stand out among the crowd whether it's day or night.
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Just in case your gear or your helmet isn't all that bright, you can employ the services of reflective tape. Just stick them to your biking jacket and/or your helmet and the people behind you will immediately notice you during the night.
If you're unaware, cars have blind spots that completely hide the cars or bikes coming from behind them from their rear-view mirrors. This phenomenon leads to many accidents when they are changing lanes. That is why it is very necessary that you avoid driving in the blind spots of the vehicles ahead of you. It's hard to identify the exact blind spot but if you're tailing a car, make sure to be in the line of sight of their interior rear-view mirror, especially during the night since your headlights can make them aware of their presence. If you ride alongside them and assume that you will be visible to them in their side mirrors, you could end up in their blind spots.
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LEDs not only increase your visibility to others but also make things brighter for you. If your bike doesn't already come with LED headlamps, it's a good option to get them installed.
Giving slight taps on the brakes make the brake lights behind your bike light up and alert the drivers behind you of your presence. They will immediately be forced to pay more attention to you if you use this method.
That horn on your bike is there for a reason. Not using it doesn't make any sense. It is especially necessary when you're driving during the night when the visibility is low. A loud honk will alert the cars around you and stop them from making any sudden lane changes that could end up cutting your route.
Adopt these 7 tips and you won't have to worry about riding your bike in low-visibility environments again.
