7 Safety Tips for Nighttime Motorcycle Riding
Some riders choose to ride at night because they love the thrill of it, but even if you don’t seek it out, every motorcycle rider is likely to find themselves riding at night one time or another. Maybe you were hanging out and lost track of time, or maybe you must log so many miles on your cross-country ride that some of them have to be at night. Before you ride at night, it’s important to understand the dangers of night riding and how you can avoid motorcycle accidents.
Make Sure You’re Ready to Ride at Night
First, make sure you’re ready to ride at night. Riding at night is more challenging. It’s best to wait until you’ve developed your riding reflexes and skills, so you’ll be able to respond quickly and accurately to dangerous situations. It’s also important to ride sober. If your hangout included drugs or alcohol, maybe it’s best if you don’t ride tonight. Make sure you’re fully recovered before you ride off. Ask yourself if you’re alert enough to ride at night. Even if you’re rested and ready when you get on your bike, night riding is more exhausting and monotonous, so take breaks more frequently.
Check Your Lights and Use High Beams
Before you ride off, take the time to check your lights. Don’t assume that you’d notice if they were out. In a well-lit parking lot or major street, you might not notice if your lights aren’t working – until you find yourself on a dark side road, and then it’s too late.
When you’re riding at night, use your high beams. This will improve your sight distance. Just make sure to dim them when you encounter opposing traffic.
Have Night-Riding Glasses or Visor
Dark-colored glasses and visors are great for riding during the day. However, they can make it even harder for you to see at night. If you’re going to be out riding at night, have a clear visor. If you don’t have a change of visor with you, you should have glasses for night riding and ride with your visor up.
Incidentally, it’s a good idea to make sure your visor or glasses are clean before you start riding. It’s a lot easier to ignore a dirty visor or lens during the day, but at night they can become a dangerous impairment to your vision.
Don’t Look at Oncoming Headlights
Remember to avoid looking at oncoming headlights. Instead, focus on the lane divider to your right, which will help you stay in your lane and keep moving forward. After each car passes, quickly switch back to looking for hazards on the road ahead.
Slow Down and Drive Defensively
Riding at night is dangerous enough – there’s no need to increase your risk by speeding or making risky maneuvers. Ride at or below the posted speed limit. Give plenty of space between yourself and the car in front of you. Don’t weave through traffic and stay in the lane where drivers expect vehicles.
Wear Visibility Gear
We know that visibility gear isn’t popular among riders. However, it can make a real difference for your safety. Even if you’re committed to your black gear for daytime riding, have a high visibility vest to put on at night.
Leverage the Lights of Other Vehicles
Whenever possible, leverage the lights of other vehicles to improve your visibility and sight distance. Ride where you are clearly illuminated by car headlights and utilize the greater luminosity of car headlights to improve your sight distance.
Choose a Dedicated Motorcycle Accident Attorney
If you are in a motorcycle accident – at any time of day or night – let Pushchak Law help you get the compensation you deserve. We utilize our unique Informed Decisions™ Approach that gives you the personal attention and full information you need to make smart choices after your motorcycle accident.
We are dedicated to helping our clients. We make ourselves personally available to you, and we will listen to you so we can understand your specific needs for the outcome of your case. Then we’ll take the time to fully explain your options so that you can make an informed decision about how best to proceed with your case. We are fully determined to hold a driver responsible for the injuries they caused, but our primary goal is to make sure that you receive the compensation you need after your accident.
Contact us today to schedule a free consultation. Pushchak Law serves clients in Denver and the surrounding areas of Colorado.
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