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Boston Motorcycle Attorney

Don’t Be in the Dark about Night Time Motorcycling
September 23, 2009

Enjoying a nice, cool evening ride in the summer is a great way to enjoy a Harley Davidson, custom cruiser, or sport bike. The cool air makes riding much more comfortable and in many cases, night riding involved less traffic. For all drivers, vision is the number one tool for anticipating and preventing accidents. While night motorcycling may be fun, extra care is needed so bikers can see clearly and remain visible to other drivers.

By following a few night riding essentials, your next evening ride will be both fun and safe.

• Clean your lights: Dirty headlights, tail lights, turning signals, and running lights can greatly impair how visible they are at a distance. Make sure to clean all lights a minimum of twice per week to insure maximum visibility.

• Reflective Motorcycle Gear: Reflective gear provides extra, highly visible illumination that motorists can see at great distances. Make sure your gear has reflective material on it. There are also options to buy additional reflective material and add them to your bike or helmet.

• Helmets and Goggles: Make sure visors and lens are clean and free of scratches. Scratches can cause glare from headlights and impede clear vision. If your goggles or helmet visors have scratches, replace them immediately.

• HIDs or Standard Headlights: HID or High Intensity Discharge lights produce 300% more light than halogen headlights. While this is great for providing the best vision for the motorcyclist, HID lights can sometimes have the opposite effect on other motorists.

• Speed: Always obey all posted speed limits but make sure to use extra care at night. Since your vision will be less acute than during the day, slower speeds will help you see and anticipate potential problems better and allow for maximum reaction time.

• Eye sight: Since motorcycling requires great vision, make sure to have an annual vision check up to see if corrective lens are needed. Night vision can sometimes be more impaired than day vision so make sure to tell your doctor that night vision is important for you.

Night motorcycling is all about seeing and being seen. Make sure that as you head out for an evening ride, all the necessary precautions have been taken so you are not in the dark.