Reflective gear should allways be in your safety plan, whether walking or running down a wooded trail or a busy sidewalk. You might ask yourself, “Why do I need reflective gear for running at night in the woods?” No cars are in the woods, so why would you need reflective safety gear? Well, imagine this scenario:
You’re running in the woods during the afternoon, and you trip over a root. You seriously injure your leg and cannot move. You call for help, but you need help pinpointing your exact location. The night is getting darker, and you need the flashlight (which you should also carry when running close to nightfall). If you weren’t wearing reflective safety gear, the rescuers’ flashlights would have difficulty finding you. Every scenario you can think of reflective gear is beneficial to you.
Whether you’re isolated in the woods, running on the beach, or running on the streets, reflective gear lets others know where you are. If you prefer to run along a road, it’s evident that reflective gear plays a vital role in your safety after the sunsets.
However, you can wear reflective running gear before the sun sets. It’s difficult to see pedestrians, even in the bright of day. Any reflection off your body only improves your safety. Wearing reflective gear is less bulky than carrying your own light source, such as a headlamp.
Reflection gear also adds visibility to your body during different weather conditions. If a flash of rainfall catches you, even the best windshield wipers won’t improve any car’s visibility. Having a reflective vest may be the difference between life and death.
You may ask why anyone runs outside when it isn’t light out. Today’s society keeps most of us busy during the day. Therefore, morning runs or late-night strolls have become extremely popular. When seeking what type of reflective gear to use, you want it to reflect when light is shown directly or indirectly. The best reflective gear will be visible regardless of the direction of the light source.
There are different types of reflective gear, from lightweight and cheap vests to reflective shoes, pants, gloves, and wristbands. The more you light up during inclement weather or nights, the safer you are.
You may ask yourself, don’t drivers have headlights and can see me even without reflective gear? The answer is that it is not necessarily the case because drivers have difficulty adjusting their eyes when driving at night because of changing lights. Even at a slower speed, a driver can only see a couple hundred feet in front of the car. With proper reflective gear, a driver might be able to adjust quickly enough. The reaction time can also be slower at night because drivers usually are sleepy, which is common when driving in the morning or at night.
There are some tips you can follow while wearing reflective gear that can add to your safety in being seen.
The first tip is to stay on the sidewalk when possible. This might sound like a no-brainer, but many roads do not have pedestrian sidewalks, and some runners prefer to walk on a smooth surface. Another tip is to plan the route along roads with sidewalks or plan a route near sidestreets. If you plan on walking or running nearby roads, face traffic while doing so. The reaction time between the driver and the runner boosts your chances of survival in case of an accident.
Remember, a driver only takes a few seconds to react when they see you. With reflective gear, you are in a safer place!
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