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Safe Nighttime Scooting

 

I've seen a few folks scootering around at nighttime, which can indeed be very fun.  Cooler temperatures, quieter roads, and the post-sunset peace usually make for pleasant outdoor experiences.  For scootheads, however, it is also a potentially dangerous time -- the low visibility that comes with nightfall can be downright deadly if precautions aren't taken.  Here are some recommendations for safe nighttime scootering:

LIGHT UP!

 Every scooter owned by ScootHead staff members is equipped with headlights.  Mine is actually equipped with two!  There are many brands and models to chooose from, but we've unanimously gone with CatEye's HL-500II headlight.  Unlike bicycles -- which have many more places on their frames and bars to mount things like rechargeable battery packs -- scooters offer very few places for clamp-on accessories.  What we like about the HL-500II headlight is that it uses standard batteries (4 AA), which keeps it compact, lightweight, and lit for three hours.
           
This fact that the HL-500II lights use AA batteries is particularly attractive to me because I keep a bunch of NiMH rechargeable batteries on hand that I can use in them.  Rechargeable batteries present two very distinct advantages over alkaline batteries in this application:  (1) they're far more economical than alkaline batteries, and (2) as long as you keep them freshly charged, your headlights won't get continually dimmer (this is all the more true because NiMH batteries have an astonishingly flat discharge curve).
            The HL-500II headlight uses a 2.4-watt halogen lamp, and puts out a surprising amount of light for such a small unit.  Retailing for $19.95, it is a very affordable headlight, and may be the best value in that price range -- I actually got my HL-500II headlights for $15 each at REI (http://www.rei.com) during a big sale.
            Once again, on my Xootr Street I'm running two HL-500II headlights, with one pointed more downward to illuminate the ground immediately in front of me, and one facing straight on to illuminate the street ahead, and to make it easy for automobiles to see me.  If you can afford two, I would highly recommend going this route.
            Headlights provide only half of the lighting required for nighttime scooting.  It is also important to illuminate your backside.  I have also chosen CatEye for this application.  Of the many tallights CatEye makes, I chose the TL-LD500.  The TL-LD500 consists of three very bright LCDs combined with a CPSC-(Consumer Product Safety Commission) approved reflector.  This means that if your batteries die, the TL-LD500 will be as effective a reflector as the ones you find on the backs of bicycles.
            The TL-LD500 is extremely bright and comes with a clothing clip (as well as the hardware necessary to mount it to your bike).  It runs on two AAA batteries, and will run for 100 hours in its blinking mode, and 50 hours in its constant-on mode.  Using the clothing clip, I attach the TL-LD500 to my belt just above my butt, or clipped to the back of a baseball cap if I'm wearing a longer jacket.  I also use it in blinking mode, as it appears to be much more noticeable this way.

REFLECT

Just about anything you can do to make yourself more visible at nighttime is good.  Reflective tape is helpful, as is reflective clothing.  One pair of jogging shoes I own has reflective material on the back of each shoe which is extremely noticeable at night.  Also, one of my backpacks -- an Amazon.com Back Office backpack that I bought from Amazon.com for only $35.00 -- has reflective piping on it that seems to glow in the dark when even just a little bit of light strikes it.

ABSTINENCE IS THE SAFEST CHOICE

Of course, the safest nighttime riding choice a scoothead can make is to simply not do it at all.  Truth be told, this option receives our highest recommendation.  Scooters are small, and can be difficult for even the most vigilant automobile drivers to see, not to mention the many numbskulls that get behind the wheel.
            If you insist on nighttime scooting, however, take as many precautions as you can, and make yourself as visible as possible.  Always wear a helmet (day or night), and use headlights, a taillight, and reflective clothing.