DataJunkie

Morning was great in the darkness. Sunset and riding in the dark was absolutely terrible in my suburb but fine everywhere else. I have tons of lighting but the motorists are inattentive and generally rude. Close passes, honking, people flashing their brights and yelling get off the road.
Eventually I settled on riding to my van in winter and driving the 5 miles from the trailhead home.
Sad to say but I just couldn't handle being a one man crusade and excessively risking my life. That being said I would still occasionally ride just to have this point reinforced repeatedly. Perhaps I should have been more stubborn.

tarwheel 

I would say slightly less dangerous in the dark because I have a very good lighting system -- 3 tail-lights and 2 headlights. I also wear high-viz jackets, vests and jerseys. The main added risk while riding in the dark is that it can be harder to see obstacles such as potholes, sticks, rocks, etc., but that is balanced out by having generally less traffic on the roads.

Now, if you are one of those ninja cyclists who wear dark jerseys and get by with no lights or ones with dim batteries and low lumens, then it is probably much more dangerous riding in the dark.

chipcom 

Same here, I voted slightly less dangerous for that reason and for the fact that I think I can spot other vehicles easier for the same reason.

tsl

+1

Steely Dan

i've seen other people mention that there is less traffic on the roads when it's dark out, but that makes no sense to me because i leave work at the same time everyday, 5:30pm, and whether it's the bright daylight of the summer solstice, or the pitch black night as it is now after we've gone back to CST for the winter, the traffic load on the streets is exactly the same - ie. balls-to-the-wall chicago rush hour insanity.

the reason i choose dark as slightly more dangerous is because riding through rogers park and edgewater at night, i notice that there are a lot of people who will jay walk across a street without looking, and even with good lights, i know i'm gonna hit one of them one of these days because they'll literally pop out of nowhere between parked cars into the street without even looking. their stealthy movements on the road edge are much, much easier for my peripheral vision to pick up when it's light out. at night, well, i'm just gonna end up slamming into one of them one of these evenings.

imi

To be honest I never think about how dangerous my rides are... until something happens!

Last week I hit a piece of drainpipe that some moron had put across the bike path. Didn't realise it was there until I was I was in the air... I took a photo the next morning (obviously reconstructed after having moved the drainpipe) but the evening before it was even harder to detect - I honestly didn't register anything until trying to impersonate a bird... so this time the dark was more dangerous. Bit bruised, taco'ed front wheel... live to ride another day

Oh and btw, it would have been illegal for me to have been on the road, so lets not go there, ok?

steel..jpg

no motor?

I hear a lot of seniors mentioning how they don't drive after dark, I think that's why I'm seeing less traffic on the road when I'm out.

pallen

It may be all in my head, but it seems like I notice cars noticing me quicker at night with my lights on. Dark is definitely better than dusk/dawn - throw in riding into or out of the sun and its really dangerous. Going home at sunset yesterday, I was having trouble seeing cars while looking into the sun. I can only imaging how visible I was to them.

narr33

Much safer at night. After years of commuting with the return trip always at night I never had one problem at night. During the day I have had many close calls and hit twice by cars. Both accidents were on a bright sunny day. Drivers get traffic citation; I get a trip to the hospital. I run lights day and night.

Steely Dan

but seniors probably make up less than 1% of rush hour traffic to begin with. i notice absolutely zero difference in traffic volumes between 5:30pm in june when it's bright daylight and 5:30 in november when it's pitch black night. regardless of what the sun is doing, people are still all trying to get home at the same time because we (at least those of us in cities) switched out living by the sun for living by a clock a long time ago.

canyoneagle

Dark is safer IMO. Reflective gear, reflective tape and sidewalls, active lighting make me more visible to drivers than in the daytime (even with active lighing in daytime, which I always use). I think folks underestimate just how invisible we are to cars during the daytime. Active lighting does help.

I tend to ride defensively as well - route choice, never assuming a car sees me, always staying out of the 'door zone' if I must ride on a road where one exists, slowing down as need be to avoid hurtling into a bad situation, etc.

The main danger I've encountered in the dark is ninjas, but my main light picks them up (usually a glint off of a bike component or skin because they all seem to wear dark colors) with enough distance for me to avoid them. In the dark, I will yell "wrong side!" to the offending ninja as he's shielding his eyes from my light. I don't really engage them during the day.
The other thing requiring more awareness at night is potholes and rocks or other obstacles. Lighting is the key here for me, as well as route familiarity.

Doohickie

Just different, not more or less dangerous.

AlmostTrick

While this is also true for me and probably many others who commute during “rush hour”, the question “Do You Consider Your Commute More Dangerous When it's Dark?” is a personal one. Commute times and conditions can vary quite a bit between respondents, depending on when and where they ride.

HiYoSilver

The dark times are much safer as my lights are extremely bright and I am given more space on the roads than during the daytime. The worst times are twilight times when people can't see clearly and it's not quite dark enought for the full effect of good lighting.

Naturally some locales are not wise to be in during darkness, and if your route is not changed to avoid those locales, then, yes it would be more dangerous in the dark.

So with those caveats, much safer in full darkness.

Catgrrl70

I picked much more - but not only because of the dark, but the rain. Once the roads get wet and all the potholes, cracks, seams, paint, manhole covers, etc. get coated, PLUS the massive amounts of construction now beginning on my commute complete with steel plates to get around/over...yes, it's much worse this year.

bored117 

While I am more visible when it is dark... I can't see as well as during daytime (I have good 200+ lumen light set... still nothing beats sun). Also, the time I ride in the morning is too early to be sure that everyone driving is really awake...

AlmostTrick

Several people say they consider twilight, or dusk / dawn periods, to be worse for safety than fully dark. I question this for my mostly rural commute and I'll explain why. In full darkness cyclists and motorists can only see whatever their lights illuminate, or other lights. With even a very small amount of daylight, one can see all this, and more.

I have been alarmed at night by animals that crossed my path, even though I use a powerful P-7 flashlight with a wide beam. The small amount of daylight that twilight conditions give would have made it possible for me to see them before they entered the range of my light. In rural area's that have few or no lights, I prefer any extra daylight I can get, and will leave work before sunset whenever I can to get it.

MijnWraak

To echo what others have said, cars pass me on the complete opposite side of the road at night and often slow down too. I ride with a solid back light and reflective panniers. They seem much more relaxed than daytime drivers, and the two intersections I have to cross with stop signs are much less stressful when there is little traffic.

Doane

I haven't been riding long enough to decide completely. Daylight savings started Sunday and I've only ridden home a few times in the dark. I have a good blinker on the back that can be seen easily for over a 100 yards. I have a 83 lumens Mag flash light on the front in strobe blinking mode and it also can be easily seen from a far distance. I also tie reflective bands around both my pants cuffs to keep them clean and they reflect in headlights for a long distance and the movement gets attention as I peddal. I think in the dark, cars can actually see me better then in the day rides, but I can't see the road in front of me very far so there is a danger of running over something. The most dangerous time, I think, is at dusk or dawn, when the sun is low and drivers are blinded by the sun going down or coming up. Having a light doesn't really help in that situation unless it is extremely bright.

cyclokitty 

I chose slightly more dangerous cycling in the dark, not only because it's harder to see potholes or debris on the roads, or that drivers may still not notice me even with my lights blazing. But because at night the sides of the roads on my commute become parking zones. Ugh those parked cars sitting in the dark. Even with street lights and my headlights, parked cars are tough to see.

Then there are the jaywalking pedestrians who dart onto the dark roads but can't hear my well lubed bike. Even worse when people wear black or navy coats during the winter. Ringing my bell makes them react like squirrels so they begin to dance back and forth on the road. Not too safe.

Chalupa102

I feel the same way. The only time I believe night riding is more dangerous is Friday and Saturday evenings because of drunks.

no motor?

I should have mentioned I'm not out during rush hours on my commute, starting and ending my commutes after the typical commute times. I honestly don't know why there is less traffic out in the dark on my commutes, but I do know there's less of it. And I've heard a number of seniors mention how they don't drive after dark anymore, but don't attribute the total decrease in numbers to them.
There are fewer people out on the MUPs I ride on too, and for some reason the ones out after dark don't tend to stand in the middle of the path and talk like the ones I see in the morning. I'm guessing they notice me sooner in the dark and move out of the way, it's a nice change of pace for me.

sggoodri

My experience is the same - I worry more about surface hazards, but drivers pass me with greater caution, and there is less traffic later at night. But at 5:30 PM rush hour, I think I feel safer commuting in daylight compared to darkness.

I dislike the combination of rain and darkness. I think wet windshields reduce visibility more than I can compensate for with my lighting. I also dislike riding into the sunset or sunrise for the same reason.

Rhodabike

I feel that sunrise and sunset are the most dangerous times to be riding. The sun is low, blinding drivers who are going into it. Once it actually gets dark, it becomes safer because there's less distraction.
I shudder at all the unlit riders I see around here. They think it's okay if they're on a MUP, but forget that they have to cross roads while on it. LED Lights are so cheap and lightweight now, there's no excuse for not having them.

fourteen

Yes, but that's my own fault because I need a better headlight. Most of my current commute is on a MUP, and a few miles of it go through the woods.