Monday, January 5, 2009

Visibility and Alertness - Important Things That You Should Ensure When Driving Motorcycles at Night

Riding any two-wheeled vehicle at night can be fun but at the same scary. It is simply because any small vehicle can be unseen without proper lighting. Vehicles speeding up may be caught up in a surprise if they happen to suddenly shift on the other lane. Of course, in this scenario, any accident that will happen will surely be their fault. However, it would be nicer if any vehicle can be seen whether they are on the right lane or not. For the very least, they should be seen earlier to avoid the accident before it can happen.

This is why it is important to do certain things in order to increase visibility at night. Commonly bikers make sure that their ride has reflectors on it. Most of the time, these reflectors are in the form of graphics or adhesives. The great thing about them is that they also give an added look to your motorcycles. You can still drive safely while ensuring style. Most of the common designs are flaming decals and other hard-core graphics that can surely give your bikes a tougher look.

Since our goal for night driving to increase visibility, you can supplements this by wearing reflective biking apparel. You can trade in your leather jackets to bright colored ones. The most important thing is that the driver needs to be seen especially when driving crossroads or curves. Never mind if you use gauntlet motorcycle gloves or ebony boots. Just as long as your body is illuminated then you can also lessen the chances of being rammed over by some random vehicle.

Of course, you should not forget to check for the functionality of your bike lights. Everything should work fine from your headlights and even to your brake lights. The brighter they are, the better they will be. However, it should not be bright enough to blind the opposite driver. It should be well enough to work when you want to see where you are going. It should also work to be adjusted. It should be dimmed a little bit in times when the opposite vehicle approaches.

The next best thing that you can do in order to ensure safe driving at night is to increase your alertness. Any driver should be quick enough to notice hazardous situations earlier. Therefore, it is very important for you to avoid drinking too much alcohol. You also have to avoid any medication that causes drowsiness. If you feel that your perception and judgment has been altered, then it is better to take a cab rather than drive home.

Remember, having bright lights and being visible is not enough to avoid accidents. Always bear in mind, if the driver cannot control his own vehicles, most likely any mishaps will be self-inflicted. It will not matter if you have the best pair of gauntlet motorcycle gloves to improve your grip and maneuver. If you have no control of yourself, then you will not be able to do so with your vehicle.