Making the Invisible , Visible.

An article from the theday.comwarrants details of a police investigation into an accident of a driver who failed to see an oncoming motorcyclist .

It is in the news every other day about a motorcycle accident, particularly boda boda motorcyclist. They fill up, many district hospital orthopedic wards.

In the article above, the driver told the police at the scene that he had slowed down his car and quickly scanned the roadway for oncoming traffic, and not seeing anything had accelerated to make a left turn. He said he saw the motorcycle “all of the sudden’ and did not have time to avoid the collision.  A driver behind the motorcyclist said it was being ridden at the speed limit.

It is a pity to say this , but accidents or near accidents such as the one above are the norm in Kenya. Cagers (drivers) simply don’t see you. You are visible and yet invisible. So the question here is , how do you increase your visibility?

Simple really …by standing out  , be seen , be easy to notice.

What color is your motorcycle? Is it a color that is pleasing to the eye, perhaps even your favorite color?

What color is your riding gear? Is it cool? Perhaps it is black from head to toe.

Motorcyclists need to stand out among the river of pleasing colors used to paint most cars that are on the road. And I applaud the recent amendments to the Kenyan traffic act which made wearing of riding with reflective strips mandatory. Personally I prefer a riding jacket and helmet  that will drive a driver crazy just by mere glimpse of it ( he he he).

Riding with your lights on  during the day  on is another way to increase your visibility on the road.  In many countries, every motorcycle‘s low beam headlamp has been wired to illuminate whenever the engine is running, either as a matter of law or of voluntary industry practice.

Head light modulators are devices that oscillate the intensity  of a motorcycle headlight making you conspicuous . They also include a light sensor that disables modulation when the ambient light level drops below a certain point. When this happens, the headlamps burn steadily. which restricts its use to only daylight hours.

Be conspicuous ……

 

Ride Safe,