From the GWRRA Texas Chapter M-2 Education Corner

“Night Riding Vision”

By Andrew Cherney

Copywright 2008

Motorcycle Cruiser Magazine

By the time you read this most of the country will have made the switch from Daylight Saving Time. Do you take your bike to work? Find yourself com-ing home from a day-long ride late in the day? For sure you’re going to be riding in the dark now. Below are some thoughts on riding at night (especially for those of us “mature” riders) drawn from an article in Motorcycle Cruiser Magazine, written by Andrew Cherney.

Night riding just ain't the thrill it used to be when I was a young buck. Generally speaking, your ability to see at night deteriorates with age, and a twilight spin in my mid-40s demands way more preparation than it used to. You've probably heard the sobering stats: A disproportionately high rate of accidents occur between dusk and dawn.

The most basic issue is lack of visibility. The National Safety Council (NSC) confirms that 90 percent of a rider's reaction depends on vision. And the nighttime riding disadvantage is compounded by the vagaries of getting older. Add to that roads with no overhead lighting, the sensitivity to headlights that many riders and drivers experience, and the compromised distance vision of aging riders, and it's easy to see why it can be a battlefield out there at night. If you think it's a stretch for drivers to spot motorcyclists in the full light of day, our single headlight is essentially invisible after sundown. Apart from watching out for tired, clueless drivers, there's also Bambi to consider; wild animals are more active after dusk.

That's a handful, so we asked Los Angeles optometrist Dr. Diana Risko (also a longtime rider) for some, uh, clarity. "Human retinas are mostly designed for light situations," she explains. "Only around 15 percent of their receptors are made for the dark. Darkness makes the eye's pupil dilate, and the headlights of an oncoming car basically set off all the receptors in your eye, giving you only a white flash in your vision." She adds, "Astigmatism [a curve to the cornea] is fairly common and often doesn't require correction. But it can make blurred vision more likely at night and can contribute to eyestrain."

Before you get all gloomy, know there are ways to prepare for your ride once the sun goes down.

A simple way to arm yourself against the evening is to prep your ride. That means giving everything a thorough scrub before you hit the street. Headlights, taillights, signal lights, windshields and helmet visors should be cleaned at least twice a week. If you ride with a full-face helmet, make sure the shield is scratch and fog-free. A scored visor can create light refraction and make two headlights seem like four; you won't know what's coming from where. There are a variety of inexpensive solutions available to keep your face shield from fogging up. Any of them are more effective than sliding your fingers behind the shield in an attempt to wipe it clean while on the road.

Remember that glare is in the eye of the beholder. Middle-aged and older riders are more sensitive than young ones, so if you're running high-output auxiliary lights, give the other guy a break. The brighter beams can easily blind the very people you're trying to get to notice you. A teacher at the AARP Driver Safety Program course (participants age 55-plus) tells us he often hears complaints about motorcycle headlights being too bright. With the average driver's age on the rise, it's food for thought.

Because night riding reduces both the distance and quality of what you see, you might want to keep a lighter touch on the throttle-especially if you're in the boonies. It'll be tougher to determine surface condition as well as the road's general direction at night, key points on unlit country lanes. Be prepared to stop if you're confused-don't guess. If you can, use the lights of other nearby vehicles as well as your own to keep an eye on the road and give yourself room to react. In turns, make sure you have plenty of lean angle in reserve. If the turn tightens or the pavement changes, you may need the extra runoff.

Rest up. It's not a good idea to ride when you're tired. Long hauls in the evening can easily leave you in autopilot mode. You may not react to hazards as quickly as you would during the day. Changing up your speed and taking regular breaks is the best way to fight fatigue on long nighttime journeys. Snack and stretch the movement and light food will help ward off tiredness.

It's also in your best interest to make yourself a little larger than life. Wearing bright clothing and reflective material makes you pop at night. The biggest thing a following driver sees is your back, so get some reflectivity back there. Streetglo.net stocks DOT-approved, motorcycle-specific stick-on tape for less than $10 a roll. Try a reflective ―Halo stretched around the bottom of your helmet.

As you might expect, your bike's lighting is your biggest weapon. Even simple things like ensuring your headlight and taillights have good-quality bulbs and clean lenses will yield big gains. If light quality is subpar, consider adding dual running lights; three properly aimed headlights are much more noticeable than one. Halogen lamps-up to 30 percent brighter than stockers-can be had for less than $15. In their dogged quest for style many manufacturers aim the headlight lower than the legal angle. Consult your owner's manual, then peek into the headlight area to find the adjustment hardware and tweak away.

Last (but perhaps most importantly), get your eyes checked. One quick visit can diagnose any problems. Dr. Risko says, "People with astigmatism are more likely to be disturbed by glare or light sensitivity. But almost all astigmatism can be corrected. Contacts are better for riding as they don't compromise peripheral vision like glasses do."

All things considered, it probably isn't as bad as it seems. After all, 50 is the new 30, right? Just tell that to my wife-she's planning to to take me shopping.

Nancy Kwiecien
GWRRA Spring, Texas Chapter M-2 Chapter Educator