Freedom to Ride at Night

I used to be afraid of biking at night.  Indeed, I wouldn't bike anywhere if there was a possibility of biking back after dark.  I constantly had to calculate my return time, and too often I drove instead.  But after I got bright night lights, I was liberated.  I was able to make most of my local trips by bike independent of time of day.  I've been biking day and night for years now.  

With the time change earlier this month and winter solstice next month, daylight now ends unexpectedly early.  By the time you leave work, it will surely be dark.  If you're a youth, you have time to do one short after-school activity before you have to hightail it home to avoid darkness.  So, it behooves us to invest in bright nighttime lights as, even with advance planning, you'll end up going home after dark on occasion.  

Having lights is absolutely essential at night to stay safe.  Many cyclists who don't drive, like children, don't realize how invisible they are to drivers.  Children assume drivers see them based on their experience during the day.  But as many of us who drive know, cyclists and pedestrians at night are very hard to see if they're wearing dark clothes and have no lights.  By law, cycling at night requires lights, and for good reason [Ref: CVC 21201].

Ironically, biking at night could be safer than during the day.  This is the case if you're biking late, after commute hours, so there are fewer cars on the road to endanger you.  I often bike down Hollenbeck after 10 pm, after attending a Council meeting, and then I have the road all to myself.  In addition, your lights appear much brighter at night than during the day, so drivers really notice you, making your trip safer.

There are many good bright lights out there.  Get one with high lumens that can be seen at least 300-500 feet away.  I use these, if you're curious:  NiteRider Lumina headlight and Cygolite Hypershot taillight.

Always leave home with lights so that you won't be caught without them in case you stay out later than originally planned.  Store them in your backpack so that you don't have to remember to take them every time you leave home.  Some people clip lights onto their bike, but those lights are probably going to be stolen very quickly.  I clip mine onto my helmet.  This means my helmet is now worth $200, so I always have to carry my helmet with me after locking up my bike.  

Remember to turn on your lights.   They are useless if you don't.  I put my lights in flashing mode as flashing lights are much more noticeable than steady lights.  And, remember to turn off your lights once you get to your destination. You'll run out of battery quickly otherwise.  Many times, I forget to turn off my bright flashing lights on my helmet when I get to my destination, and I wonder why people are staring at me as I go around the store.

I recommend turning on lights even during the day.  Doing so makes you more visible to drivers so reduces the chance of a car crashing into you.  Turn on your lights at dusk too.  Dusk is arguably one of the most dangerous times to bike because the sun is in the drivers' eyes and bike lights aren't always bright enough to overcome the vestige of remaining daylight.  Whenever I turn on my lights during the day, drivers become courteous toward me.  For some inexplicable reason, they think I'm an official user of the road if I have my lights on, but not so otherwise.  

Keep your lights recharged.  I recommend getting lights that have USB recharging capability so that you don't have to deal with removable batteries.  Some lights come with a battery level indicator, which I also recommend.  To be safe, recharge your battery well before your battery is used up.  If you run out of battery at night, you may want to find some other means of getting home that night.

Keep a spare set of lights with you so that, in case your primary lights go out, you have a backup.  This backup set can be less expensive as you're not expecting to use them often.  I keep a backup set on my bike that's cheap so people won't be enticed to steal them.  It's been several years and so far they're still on my bike.  

In addition to lights, carry a fluorescent reflective vest with you.  This way, if you happen to be dressed all in black that day, the vest will come in handy.

If you're not used to biking at night, all this may seem like a lot of overhead, but it will quickly become second nature, much like carrying an umbrella with you when rain is in the forecast and wearing a hat out on a sunny day.  

Now that I bike at night, my next step is to bike in the rain.  You'll hear from me again when I do that.  But don't hold your breath on that one.

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About the Author

Sharlene Liu is a 23-year Sunnyvale resident. She makes almost all her trips by bike. She is Founder and Chair of Sunnyvale Safe Streets.