The Importance of Motorcycle Light Usage in Winter

Now that winter is fast-approaching, darkness comes earlier. Bad weather often threatens as well. In these cases, riding your motorcycle presents added risks. Let’s think about how you can use one of your vehicle’s most critical parts—its lights—to protect yourself. 

It’s self-evident that you need to use your bike’s lighting system when it is dark. So, don’t let anything stop you from keeping your lights in good shape all the time.

Why You Need Lights

As motor vehicles, motorcycles need a functioning lighting system. If yours don’t work, you’ll likely face legal penalties. This could include tickets and even higher insurance rates in the right scenarios.

To most drivers, the reason for having lights is obvious. It helps bikers see the road ahead of them. It also helps others around the bike see it. Therefore, properly-functioning lights go a long way towards preventing accidents on the road. If you can prevent an accident in any situation, you’ll become a safer rider.

The need for lights increases in winter. First, the end of daylight savings time means more waking hours of darkness for most people. Second, risks of severe weather might also beckon, even in Texas. In both situations, visibility can drop. Thus, it will become harder for other drivers to see your bike. It will also become harder for you to see potential roadway hazards. So, your overall accident risk might increase this time of year.

The Safe Use of Your Lights

Motorcycle lights are not the same thing as vehicle lights. For example, most bikes only often have one headlight instead of two. Rear lights often prove much smaller than standard. Therefore, these lights might not be as visible as those on other vehicles.

It is up to you, therefore, to maximize lighting effectiveness.

• Test your lights frequently. Most bikes will alert you when lights malfunction. Replace them when this occurs. Often, you can replace bulbs easily.
• Check that the bike’s blinker system. This system will notify others on the road when you make turns. Given that you can’t make hand signals in the dark, for example, blinkers add extra visibility support.
• Periodically check and clean the bulb covers and encasement around the lights. If these items become clouded or dirty, they will decrease visibility.

With care, you can make yourself more visible to others. Therefore, you can help fend off accidents, and reduce overall safety risks on the road. That will make riding your bike much safer this winter.

Also Read: Reduce Motorcycle Insurance Rates with Improved Safety