How to ride safely in the rain at night

By Réhann Coetzee

Riding at night needs extra care, as does riding in the rain. When you combine the two, you really have to focus.

My advice is to limit night riding where possible. But if you have no choice, say due to working hours, and it also rains on your ride back home, you need to be doubly careful.

If you ride regularly at night, you will already know the basics: ride slower, work proactively on being visible to other road users. Don’t switch your bike’s headlight to high beam, that will increase the dazzle other road users see and they will have no idea of how near or far you are.

In rainy conditions, the above list is doubly important. Rain makes lights dazzle more, braking distances increase dramatically, bad visibility becomes even worse. And the same goes for motorists, but they are safer in their cars than you are on your bike.

If you wear a rain suit, make sure it is a very visible one, or at least has reflective striping on it.

Accept responsibility for your own safety. As motorcyclists, we expect other road users to be as safe on the road as we are, but to assume that they are would be ignorant. Don’t assume anything. Keep safer following distances; keep longer braking distances.

Your safety is your own responsibility. Do everything you can to make your trip as safe as possible.