Through my whole life I've always avoided cycling after dark whenever possible. Our roads, their lighting, cycle lighting and even motor vehicle lighting have usually fallen far short of the task of truly safe passage for a cyclist.
And as we age, the muscles controlling iris closure slow. That means intermittent brief pools of darkness after each instance of being dazzled, a potential real danger for a small object like a pedestrian or cyclist who could be hit unseen by an elderly driver in those moments.
For that reason and as previously reported in here, I now will not drive after dark under any circumstance.
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I'm obviously not part of the majority as I prefer to cycle at night.
I only cycle to go to the shops, so no need to look at the views.
During the evening there is less road traffic and I have found that overtaking vehicles allow more room, presumably because it's more difficult to judge distances at night.
But I have modified my bike so that I do not only have a single central light, but rather also have flashing leds at handlebar width at both edges front & back.
That way other vehicles can see I have a width & not just a moving vertical pole, which is what the eye & brain see when looking at most bikes.
I also have to amend my setup when travelling on unlit country roads, where I attach a motorbike headlight, so I can use full beam to see properly & dip it for oncoming vehicles. The advantage is that the main beam is the same brightness as other cars & when you dip so do they.
photos.app.goo.gl
) With a large flat surface like that passing fast and close, you could be dragged into his wake.
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