Yesterday I went to see my Mom for mother's day. On the way home in the dark, I barely spotted a single taillight. It was extremely difficult to judge distance to the single red light, or even tell if it was getting closer or farther away. At one point the light got somewhat brighter, and my eyes interpreted that as suddenly being much closer and stopped--I suspect he merely flashed his brake light a bit. The light would also blend in with the lights up the road. The taillight was going about 5mph below the speed limit, but it was too difficult to judge exactly where it was for me to be comfortable passing.
It turns out that the taillight was from a rider with dark clothing, a black helmet and a black duffel bag strapped to an old smaller yellow Yamaha motorcycle. I could not see any of this until we got into town and there were street lights.
As soon as I got home, I added some reflector tape to my new helmet. Adding a second visual reference point a distance from the taillight will not only make it easier for drivers to see me, but will make it easier for them to judge distance.
No comments:
Post a Comment