Now the clocks have gone back and autumn is most definitely here meaning that the sun is both a lot lower in the sky and that we have a lot less daylight so riders are having to ride early in the mornings and evenings when the sun is just coming up or going down. So I came up with , fellow horse riders, to do the following things -
Always wear high visibility jackets, tabbards, vests etc with reflective strips when out riding! No matter the time of day but especially important at dusk and dawn when the sun is at it's lowest and most dazzling! High Viz can be picked up really rather reasonably and you cannot put a price on your life!
If riding when it's still dark or getting dark then adding a head torch or cycling lights to your helmet or jacket is always a good idea. Anything extra to help you be seen!
Here is my head torch which also has red flashing lights
If you can kit your horse out with high viz, reflective strips or lights then even better! The brighter you are the more likely you are to be seen quicker!
Car lights; Something I've noticed a lot of recently is mismatched car headlight brightness with one bulb being significantly brighter than the other! Definitely worth doing a light check that your main headlights are both working and are equal in brightness. Getting dazzled by other road users is never fun and not safe to boot!
Lorries; are your head lights working as well, are they equal in brightness? Are your back lights on and working? Does your brake light work when the peddle is pressed? Does your reversing light work? Is it bright enough?
Nothing worse than being at an event and the sun is going down only to realise your reversing light is out and you can’t see! Or getting to an early morning event and realising you can't see to reverse in to a tight spot!
Cyclists, for the love of all that is holy please don’t ride about with no lights on, in the dark at 6am! Lycra road cyclists, I know you like your snazzy training kit but on country roads when the sun is low like it is at the moment please make yourself seen by putting high viz on! The near misses I’ve seen recently I tell you! Just like horse riders you are also vulnerable road users and we all need to stick together to remain safe on the roads and be seen. Like I've written above, you can buy very reasonably prices high viz kit from Wiggle!
Stay safe on the roads everyone, we all have to share them. Can you really put a price on your safety instead of paying a few quid for something to make you nice and bright?
Sophie x
