The European Transport Safety Council states that one of the key problems in cycling accidents is 'invisibility; cyclists are difficult to see and can be hidden'. As you would guess, riding at night is more dangerous than during the day, so with the evenings closing in and the days getting darker what can we do to make ourselves more visible to other road users?
•During the day fluorescent clothing in yellow and orange will make sure you definitely stand out as fluorescent material works by converting invisible UV light into visible light, giving the material that eye catching glow. This is especially the case in low-light conditions, around dawn and dusk where yellow in particularly effective.
•While Fluorescent clothing is great during the day, it will not be effective during the night as there is no UV light and will not show up or glow in the dark. To be seen you will need something reflective. The artificial lights from car headlights and street lights are reflected from the clothing back to the source making us more visible than we otherwise would have been.
•The key to making sure that you are visible to other road users is not only to ensure you stand out from the background but to also make drivers aware that you are moving at speed. This is where reflective strips on both the knees and ankles, which move up and down as the cyclist moves, will show drivers that you are in motion and not a stationary object.
•In Ireland you are obliged to display a front white or yellow light and your rear tail light must be red.
