Re: night time riding

Yup, I'm a hi-viz girl all the way so totally agree with your comments...  I know its illegal but I have been known to go up onto the verge/ pavement when it gets to dusk or darker - just because i would prefer to pay a fine than to die a horrible death under the wheels of a crazy driver!    As for this girl and her antics, I wonder if she drives herself?  I suspect that she's probably totally unaware of her situation (god knows how).  I can't imagine anyone would knowingly dice with death if they knew how close they were coming... perhaps you can flag her down one day and have a chat - she might appreciate a bit of advice!

Something I would like advice on is how to help keep my girlie calm - she always starts to get a bit sharper as the sun goes down.  I know their eyesight is meant to be better than ours in the dark, but I have a feeling that there might be an instinctive reason for her not to want to be hacking out at that time... or maybe its just me getting twitchy

Re: night time riding

I look daft when riding out just before dark, as when I leave the yard it will still be light but always get caught after dark coming back into the farm. I will have a Hi Viz yellow jacket, Hi Viz exercise sheet, reflective leg bands, Hi Viz martingale, Hi Viz hat band and even put a head light you get for cycling clipped to the front of my helmet and a flashing red one clipped to the back on the Hi Viz band which shows the cars from a distance that there is something further down the road instead of just turning a corner and "surprise". I even wear the Hi Viz in the day minus the lights! Better to be safe and be seen, I don't care what a wally I look like in the daylight!

As for not wearing a hat, I had an accident on the horse, wearing a hat, I come off the horse, and damaged my back but had landed on my head when I hit the floor. My old hat had 2 hairline cracks in it and Drs said if I had not been wearing my hat, that would have been my skull! I do keep this hat to show ppl on my yard when they think its clever to ride without the hat! Im in my 30's, been riding all my life and in 6 years of having this horse, I fell off, it was the one and only time I come off him. So it can happen to anyone of any experiance!

Re: night time riding

Yup!  If you know her parents you could "share your concerns" with them.  I remember how as a teenager cyclist I could never understand the need for lights as I could see perfectly well and she probably feels the same.  Not long ago I nearly took out a cyclist on a dark roundabout.  Another car coming towards me with headlights on and he just got lost in the shadows as she would... I missed him by inches - when I suggested to him he might like to get some lights (or hi viz!) he told me where to get off (with several expletives!!) so I told him next time I wouldn't brake and the world would be better off with one less idiot (or words like it!) GRRRR!

Re: night time riding

Simply put she is an idiot lol!  It scares me when I am driving in the dark and I struggle to see people walking on the pavements!  I do hack in the dark but only on quiter roads and covered head to toe in high viz and flashing lights.  A police man actually drove past with his window down the other week and said "nice and bright luv - nice and bright!" slightly embarassing but at least I was seen :)