Night Running Walking Safety Tips
Shorter Winter Days Force Many To Run & Walk in the Dark
How to run and walk safely when it is dark outside. Safety tips for seeing and being seen. These tips apply to bicyclists as well as pedestrians.
Winter's Shorter Days
Work schedules prevent most people from walking, running, or bicycling in the middle of the day. They must exercise early in the morning before work or in the evening after work. During the summer these hours are still light. However as the days get shorter in the winter, these people must walk, run, or ride in the dark.
Just after the switch from daylight savings time, the hour around 6PM is especially dangerous for pedestrians. Paul Fishbeck and David Gerard of Carnegie Mellon University have studied data on traffic fatalities. They find a 186% jump in the risk of vehicle-pedestrian accidents for the month of November after the switch to standard time. They suggest the higher risk is caused by the fact that drivers need time to adjust to the earlier darkness.
Runners Need To See
The problem for walkers, runners, and bicyclists is to both see and be seen in the dark. If you can see clearly, you can avoid potholes and similar hazards hidden in the dark roads. If drivers can see you, they are less likely to hit you.
To see simply carry a flashlight. Particularly when running, most people don't want to carry the extra weight. Modern LED flashlights or small mag light flashlights are more compact for the amount of light they provide. Those who do not want to carry anything in their hands can strap a headlamp flashlight onto their foreheads.
Runners Need To Be Seen
To be seen, wear reflective clothing. First avoid dark colored clothing. Light colors reflect more light. Light colored clothing is a good start, but modern highly reflective clothing that is designed for maximum nighttime visibility is much better.
There are several high tech reflectivity options:
- Buy reflective tape that is designed to reflect light back to its source. Apply this tape liberally to your exercise clothing. Drivers from any direction will see the bright strips.
- Wear a reflective safety vest, similar to those worn by highway workers. It can be worn over exercise clothing to allow drivers to see a bright human outline. It can be worn with any exercise outfit and does not require modifying your clothing.
- Many running clothing companies sell exercise apparel made of highly reflective fabrics. This clothing is often sold as running gear, but can also be used for walking, bicycling or any other exercise. This highly reflective running clothing serves the dual purpose of making you highly visible at night and keeping you warm in winter weather.
- Adding LED safety lights with any of these options will increase your visibility.
Other Night Running Safety Tips
- Run or walk at a nearby park or track rather than along streets or roads to reduce your exposure to traffic.
- If you take after dinner walks with the children, impress on them the importance of being especially careful about traffic.
- If crime is an issue in your community, take the same precautions when exercising after dark as you would for any other activity after dark. Avoid unsafe neighborhoods. Walk or run with a companion - of either the human or canine variety.
If you are worried about the crime possibility, take a self defense class. It is also good exercise. Also remember that if you walk or run regularly, you are probably in good enough shape to outrun most potential bad guys.
Don't let winter's early darkness disrupt your walking, running, or bicycling. But do take the proper precautions.
