People often don't expect to see cyclists in foul weather; we are not as much on the radar screen. Just because we can see them, doesn't mean they can see us; cyclists are often invisible in the canyon of shadows created by street lights and car headlights. A disproportionate number of bicycle/car crashes happen in the dark!!

Strategies:

• Light up: Put one or more rear red flashing lights on your bike, helmet or bag. (The Cat Eye TL-LD 600 Tail Light is a very bright rear tail light; any tail light that is this bright or brighter is an excellent choice.) One or more white headlights makes you much more visible. Make sure that your lights are bright. (If a friend stands a block (or more) away from your bike at night, can they easily see your lights?)



• Use reflective tape: Use reflective tape on your helmet and bike to help oncoming traffic see you. If you use lots of reflective tape on your bike frame, your bike can stand out when a headlight or other light source shines directly on it. (The disadvantage is that cars that are driving without headlights may not see your bike any better than they otherwise would.) (A side-effect benefit to reflective tape is that it protects the bike's paint job from getting scratched. If you keep your bike's frame from getting its paint scratched, you protect the frame itself from winter salt.)



• Use rechargeable AA or AAA batteries for your lights: Rechargeable batteries are great if you do a lot of riding during the dark of winter. Many rechargeable batteries can be recharged hundreds of times before they wear out, making them a very cost-effective way to be seen throughout the winter. Many bicycle lights use AA or AAA batteries. At Target or similar store, it's possible to pick up a battery recharge unit for about $30, and each 4 pack of batteries for about $10. The unit and the batteries will pay for themselves within a dozen recharges. (It gets really expensive to keep buying disposable batteries throughout the winter and throughout the year.)



• Be selective when choosing headlights: Beginning in 2001 or 2002, there was one noticeable improvement in battery-operated headlight design. Namely, some manufacturers began designing headlights using white LED lights. A good LED headlight typically burns brighter and longer than a halogen light using a comparable type and amount of batteries. This is because halogen headlights waste a lot of energy as heat rather than light, whereas LED headlights use most of their energy for light, not heat. While you may be able to pick up a halogen light at a bargain basement price, it may not be that much of a bargain when you consider how quickly the batteries will run down while not giving off that much light. The Princeton Tec Aurora is a bright LED headlight that can be strapped onto your forehead or arm. The Cat Eye EL 300 and the Cat Eye EL 200 are both handlebar-mounted headlights that also take good advantage of the white LED technology. This is not meant to be an exhaustive list -- if you can find a bright headlight that makes you very visible, then by all means, consider using it. (Note: Some rechargeable headlight systems may produce extremely bright light using halogen bulbs, but it is rare to find a halogen headlight powered by AA/AAA bulbs that produces a bright light. This is because any sufficiently powerful halogen bulb would drain AA/AAA batteries of power almost instantly.)



• Research carefully before getting rechargeable bike lighting systems: In addition to the simple option of using rechargeable AA or AAA batteries, you can also investigate rechargeable lighting systems that use proprietary rechargeable batteries. Some cyclists really like these systems. The biggest advantage is that some of these systems can produce a really bright light and/or power multiple lights with the same battery. However, there are drawbacks to consider. Many of these systems will only provide light for a couple of hours before needing a recharge, which can be a problem if you do long rides in the dark. (Some cyclists compensate for this by always carrying a spare charged battery with them.) Also, these rechargeable systems are often signicantly more expensive than the rechargeable AA/AAA option and are more difficut to purchase spur-of-the-moment battery replacements for.



• Wear clothing that makes you easier to be seen. Some cyclists will put a cheap orange mesh safety vest with reflective stripes on over their jacket. Others will get special cycling jackets with reflective piping built into them. (One company, IllumiNITE, even makes cycling clothing that is reflective all over.)Reflective leg bands are also useful. Wearing reflective clothing is no substitute for using good lights, but every little extra thing that can help you be more visible is good.



• Be predictable: Avoid blithely going down one way streets, weaving, and blowing intersections. Signal when you are going to change positions or turn. (Yes, it is ILLEGAL to go the wrong way and proceed through red lights, but if you do flaunt the law, please, please, please be very careful. Don't be surprised when someone emerges from an alley or crosses the street without looking in your direction and BLAMMO.)



• Be assertive: Don't hesitate to take your lane. It's our legal right! As TC put it, if someone is honking behind, that's a good sign. At least they see you and if they are that impatient, they are the type that would try to squeeze past you if you were a little closer to the right. Also, stay to the left of right turning traffic at intersections. Oncoming traffic will see you better, and right turning traffic won't plow into you.



• Be watchful: Learn to look behind without veering off course. Anticipate what other road users (that includes pedestrians and other cyclists) are going to do. Try not to stop abruptly; there might be a cyclist right behind you. (I've aggravated many traffic confident cyclists downtown by slowly creeping between lines of idling cars.)