Conference noted::bicycle

1783.0. "Survival At Night" by GUCCI::MHILL (Carpe Diem - ride, ride, ride!) Tue Nov 20 1990 10:38

                       RULES FOR BICYCLING AT NIGHT
    
                              by Ed Kearney
    
    Recent studies indicate:
    
    	o Though not more than four percent of all bicvycling occurs at
    	  night, 17% of all bicycle-car crashes and over 30% of all 
    	  bicycle related fatalities happen at night.
    
    	o "It is dangerous to ride during darkness at any location" and
    	  "accitent likelihood is greatly increased when riding in a rual
          area during darkness," according to one study.
    
    	o Motorists his cyclists at night because they can't see them.
    
    	o Though a red rear reflector is required by law to be used, it is
    	  not adequate for safe nighttime bicvycling.  Reflectors do not
    	  perform well on cureves, hills nor when a driver's eyes are
    	  unusually high above the grounhd (as they are when the driver is
    	  operating a large truck or bus0.  Reflectors don't perform at all 
    	  when a motorist using lights gets within 50 to 100 feet of the
    	  reflector.
    
                      12 RULES FOR SURVIVAL AT NIGHT
    
    
    These rules are a revision of the ones published in the September 1976
    issue of the L.A.W. Bulletin, the monthly magazine of the League of
    American Wheelmen.
    
    1.  Children should never bicycle at night.  Adults should bicycle only
    if they have to.
    
    2.  Always wear a good helmet, by day or by night.
    
    3.  Be thoroughly familiar with the controls on your bicycle.  Because
    you will not be able to see the shifting levers, you must know where
    they are by touch.
    
    4.  Slow down.,  A cyclist who proceeds at he same speed as he would
    during the daytime risks an accident caused by debris and holes which
    are much harder to see at night.
    
    5.  Ride only over streets that are familiar to you.  Riding at night
    over terrain that you have never seen during the day is dangerous.
    
    6.  Use streets with lights whenever possible.
    
    7.  Wear white pants or a white jacket or shirt.  Bicyclist whould wear
    clothing that makes it easy for drivers and pedestrians to see them
    during the day or at night.  Fluorescent orange or yellow are excellent
    during the day or at dust, but white is the best color to wear at
    night.  It is far superior to fluorescent orange or yellow which lose
    their fluorescence at night.  Inexpensive white cotton pants can be
    purchased at stores that sell uniforms to doctors, unrses and medical
    technicians.
    
    8.  Have reflective material that is visible to the front, sides and
    rear.  Apply reflective tape to your helmet and clothing.  Tape that
    can be applies to clothing can be obtained from Ed Kearney.
    
    9.  Copmply with all legal requirements in your state.  You must at
    least have a lamp emitting a white light on the front and a red
    reflector on the rear.  In most states these devices must be attached
    to the bicycle and not to the bicylist.  Be sure to use any additional
    lights or reflectores that may be required.
    
    10.  Use thje best light money can buy.  Have lights on your bicycle
    that are clearly visible to the front, sides and to the rea and that
    enable you to see the survace in front of you.  Bicycle lights should
    function when the bicycle is moving slowly or stopped (this could be
    particularly important in the event you fall down at night.)
    
    11.  Never assume a driver or a pedestrian has seen you.
    
    12.  Durnk Dirvers.  Finally, you should understant that motorists who
    have consumed alcohol pose a special danger to bicyclists at night. 
    Even a small amount of alcohol has a bad effect on a dirver's vision
    and his or her ability to steer a straight course.  From studies, it
    appears that 40% of all drivers may be impaired by alcohol between 12
    midnight and 3:00 a.m. and 20% are impaired between 9:00 p.m. and
    midnight and between 3:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m.  The situation is
    particularly bad on Friday and Saturday nights.  You should avoid
    bicycling at these times.