Electric Scooter Night Riding Safety Guide: Our Tips & Gear
Riding an electric scooter at night can be a ton of fun, but it can also be pretty dangerous. It’s hard to be seen if you’re not prepared for night riding. It’s easy for drivers to overlook electric scooters at night, and riders can easily miss obstacles in the road that cause serious accidents.
Added Lighting: See and Be Seen in the Dark
No matter how bright your electric scooter’s stock lighting is, or how well positioned, you should probably add lights for maximum brightness.
In our full night riding safety video above, I’m riding my favorite scooter, the NAMI Klima Max, which already has a very bright headlamp. But you’ll see the huge difference when I turn on my added Shredlights.
I have visibility several hundred feet ahead of me and a wider spread on both sides. At 1,000 lumens each, the Shredlights are as bright as two car headlights. I can point them far ahead for distance vision and aim the scooter headlight closer in to see the road ahead.
Shredlights sent me these lights, and I’ve been using them as my lights of choice for weeks now because they’re so bright. (I once crashed a scooter in my early YouTube days because I only had a dinky Amazon light. Get a real headlight.)
Shredlights lets you sync all of the lights you add – headlights, tail/brake lights, and helmet lights and underglow lights – so that they all turn off and on at the same time.
Syncing on and off is enough functionality for me, but you can also customize them via app, for example, if you have multiple PEVs and want to store different settings for different vehicles.
Safety Gear for Night Riders
In the video, I’m wearing a reflective jacket from Beyond Riders that allows you to insert armor if you want to, or take it out for a more lightweight feel.
Even without the armor, the jacket is tough and protective. I’ve taken a spill without wearing any protective gear and wouldn’t want to do it again.
Beyond Riders has a range of jackets, shirts, pants, etc. for riding year round, and I strongly recommend wearing reflective riding gear if you’re riding at night for optimal visibility and protection from pavement burns.
You can find stylish lightweight gear made for motorcyclists, ebikers and cyclists, skateboarders, BMX riders, Onewheelers – just about every kind of rider – all of it designed with reflectors for maximum visibility.
Night Riding: Trail or Street?
I do most of my night riding on bike trails for two reasons: 1) I’d rather avoid cars as much as possible, and 2) There’s hardly anyone on bike trails like at night.
Normally, there would be joggers and dogwalkers, but most bike paths and trails are empty after dark, and you can cruise through without stopping or slowing down. I definitely wouldn’t ride any technical trails, but a smooth bike path that I know well is a safe bet. If someone does happen to be on the trail, I’ll see them long before I get too close.
Riding on the street presents some different challenges, and you want to make sure you have as much visibility from behind and from the sides as possible. It’s a very good idea to mount additional brake lights on the rear of your scooter, and always use turn signals when riding at night.
Shredlights brake/tail lights come in pairs (I’ve only got one mounted in the video), and it’s best to use both if you ride on the road around car traffic at night.
You can also mount rear lights and brake lights to your helmet, or get a helmet with LED lighting built in, including brake lights and turn signals, if your scooter doesn’t have them.
In Las Vegas, where I live, there’s plenty of street lighting, but having lots of lights on the scooter still gives me that extra bit of insurance on the road.
Slow Down!
It might go without saying, but I’ll say it anyway – no matter where you’re riding, if you’re riding at night keep your speed down. You never know what’s going to pop out at you.
True story: I once had a literal deer jump out of the bushes at me at night. I’m lucky I wasn’t riding the absolute max speed or I would have plowed right into it. This could happen to you. Slow down!
Can you ride an electric scooter at night? Absolutely, as long as you have the right gear, the right lights, and good riding habits. Always, always, always wear a helmet, check out Shredlights and Beyond Riders for the best prices on lights and gear, and stay frosty!
