If you enjoy riding a scooter, you wish you could head out on the road and be carefree. Letting the wind blow around you without a care in the world. That isn’t the case though. You are always on the lookout for traffic around you, as you should be. You have to worry if they can see you.
Riders wearing the traditional colors of black, white, or gray are more likely to be caught in the crowd. Even the most attentive drivers may not see a scooter at one time or another. While it is often chalked up to human error, the truth is there is only so much the eye and brain can do so quickly. You have to help make yourself be seen by drivers.
Looking at the Big Picture
A scooter is much smaller than a truck or a car. Therefore, the size of a scooter is going to take up much less space than a larger vehicle headed down the road. Scooters and scooters can also accelerate rather quickly, so you can be right up on a driver before they realize you are there.
It is your responsibility to make you and your bike stand out. You have to make yourself visible so drivers will see you in time. Improving your visibility can significantly reduce your chances of being in a crash. While there are many ways to make yourself more visible, you need to come up with a plan that makes you safer on the roads.
The Five Best Ways to Stay Visible When Riding Among Cars
When you are riding in traffic, you need to make yourself and your scooter or scooter more visible. Here are five tips to make you stand out:
- Make sure your bike is a bright color or a design that will get attention. A brighter color, such as neon green, hot pink, yellow, orange, or red will be noticed before a charcoal gray, white, or black. A unique, vibrant pattern, such as a yellow and pink checkerboard or a green bike with yellow flames will also get you noticed.
- Wear a bright helmet. Even where it’s not required by law, a helmet is always a good idea. You can wear a brightly colored red, orange, yellow, green, or pink helmet to stand out. You can also decorate your helmet to get even more attention. Put on stickers and reflectors. These will get attention during the daylight hours as well as after dark.
- Make sure you have adequate reflectors on your bike. While you have to have a headlight and a taillight, you should add reflectors to the spokes, pegs, fenders, and anywhere else you can do so.
- Wear brightly colored clothing. You want to be seen at any hour of the day and during any weather. Bright jackets or shirts with reflective tape will get you noticed. Safety vests, which are a bright color and have reflective strips, are a great way to make yourself noticed. These are inexpensive and available almost anywhere.
- Put reflective tape on your pant legs and shoes when riding at night. You can also get reflective bands to wear on your wrists and ankles. When the headlights of vehicles hit them, they will definitely realize there is a scooter or a scooter and its rider in their vicinity.
Stay Alert and Be Prepared
You should always stay alert when riding and make the assumption that the drivers of cars are not seeing you. Be prepared for defensive driving so you can avoid a collision. Be particularly cautious at intersections, which is where most accidents occur. Taking along extra reflective tape is also recommended as you may need to replace older tape that has become worn and has started to peel.
Even if helmets are not required by law where you live, you should still wear a helmet because studies show that they significantly decrease the severity of head injuries. Full-face helmets do not impact your ability to see or hear and offer added protection to your jaw structure and eye areas. With the proper preparation, you can decrease your chances of a serious crash on the roadways significantly. Happy riding!
This article was written by Personal Injury Help, an organization that provides information about personal injury cases* and helps connect injured people with attorneys. To find out more, please head to www.personalinjury-law.com or reach out to them at help@personalinjury-law.org.
*This article is intended for informational purposes only and is not intended to be construed as legal advice or opinion.
Images: Brian Snelson via Wikimedia Commons, Khaosaming via Wikimedia Commons
