The times they are a-changin’ … safety gear you’ll need as a winter rider

by Caiti Beattie

The clocks changed last weekend –  and so should the amount of safety precautions that you are taking if you’re a commuter who rides in the dark.

As winter is starting to draw in, darker nights are now upon us. This means there is a lot more riding in the dark – especially on late night return journeys from work. There are a lot of simple safety precautions that you can take that will enable you to ride safely while in the wet, dark and icy conditions that the British weather is sure to bestow upon us. Here are just some of them:

1. High-visibility jacket or vest. You can pick up a hi-viz vest from as little as £9.99 online. A study found that motorcyclists are 37% less likely to be involved in a crash if they are wearing hi-viz clothing. Here are a couple of online options where you can pick up yours –
• http://www.bikenation.co.uk/clothing/hi-vis
• https://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorcycle_parts/content_cat/708
• https://www.amazon.co.uk/Motorbike-Waterproof-Motorcycle-Waistcoat-Visibility/dp/B0186P8NP4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1509110375&sr=8-1&keywords=motorbike+hi+viz

2. Extra lights. Having extra lights not only gives you more opportunity to spot things on the road in front of you but also allows other road users to see you better as well. The price of road lights varies, depending on how many and for what purpose you would like your lights for. There are a couple of online options to take a look at here –
• https://www.bikevis.com/shop/
• http://www.bikermart.co.uk/motorcycle_rear_lights.asp

3. Heated clothing. With colder temperatures and icy conditions meaning that the usual 20-minute ride home from work is more like 30 minutes. It is important to make sure that you are staying warm on your journey from work. Not only for comfort, but also to ensure that you can ride your bike properly. Here are some online warm clothing shops –
• http://www.getgeared.co.uk/Winter_Riding
• https://www.amazon.co.uk/motorcycle-Clothing/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=n%3A83450031%2Ck%3Amotorcycle

4. And finally, a Visorcat. During winter conditions and in the dark, your Visorcat will help you to wipe away any rain and wash away any mud that appears on your visor. This will increase your ability to see, and enable you to ride safer during winter. Having your Visorcat on your glove also allows you to wash and wipe your visor while you are moving, in turn this means that your journey time is shorter as you do not have to stop to clean away the wintry weather conditions from your visor. You can pick up your Visorcat here –
• https://www.visorcat.com/online_shop/
• https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=visorcat

This winter, do not let the weather conditions get you down. Get the right gear and stay safe!