Originally Posted by
TGT1
My commute is over for a while. I have no issue with going to work in the dark, but going home in the dark approaches suicide.
Next week when the time changes it will be particularly bad. Drivers seem to go nuts for a couple of weeks till they get used to it. The other bad time is Thanksgiving to New Years. Everyone is in a hurry and distracted it seems.
Conditions - and drivers - differ, so we all make our own judgments about this. Personally, though, I feel more conspicuous, and therefore safe, in full darkness than I do in low light conditions at dawn and dusk. And the UK statistics -I don't know about the US - seem to bear that out, accidents seem most frequent at twilight when it is difficult to stand out clearly against the background.
Of course, this depends on proper lighting. Two lights, one blinking one steady at both front and back. Relective strips on mudguards (fenders). Reflective clothing - reflective ankle bands are especially good, their movement draws the eye. Drivers approaching me in the dark may well mistake me for a mobile christmas tree, I'm quite noticeable.