Safe Speed Forums

Sun

Sun can be tiring for all of us to ride and drive in


. Use polarising sun specs– but too dark and beware of the hypnotic effect of low sun against railings at your sides

Beware that a bright sun low in sky can blind everyone

– so if riding and driving in direction of such a sun – make allowance for factor of temporary blindness and slow down and stop if you have to readjust your eyes and refocus on the road ahead.

C means Concentration on this one!

What other advice and tips has the collective got?

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Take with a chuckle or a grain of salt
Drive without COAST and it's all your own fault!

A SMILE is a curve that sets everything straight (P Diller).

A Smiley Per post
FINES USfor our COAST!

Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon - but driving with a smile and a COAST calm mind.

This time of year a low bright sun on a wet road can be a nightmare for all road users but especially cyclists who can be run down on the basis of SMIDSY. There was a fatal accident on the A689 near Greatham in February, I think it was, because of this.

Wind from the north bearing Arctic air improves visibility - great for scenic views but makes the light brighter.

My take on this is simple, don't ride towards the sun in conditions where you are blinded especially on a main road. If you really have to then make sure you have a mirror so that if you see that a following vehicle is not pulling out to pass you have time to do something about it - like get off the road!! Better this than a hospital bed or a long wooden box.

Try to organise your ride so that you go east to west or vice-versa. In December/ January in these northern climes the sun is in the south all day.

If things are so bad that you feel you ought to stop, try to get off the road to avoid getting hit in the tail by somebody less prudent than yourself. In many cases this will not be possible, but it might be something to bear in mind.

Again, things are slightly helped if you can get a forward view out of a side window, as getting decent vision is more difficult through glass, though sticking your head out of a side window is uncomfortable at best, and certainly not a viable plan for travelling far.

I had considerable difficulty with the low sun on my trip south last Thursday morning, so any suggestions that can help us with this problem will certainly be welcomed by me.

Best wishes all,
Dave.

Baseball hat. Really.

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Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

Funny you should mention that as I wear one under my cycling helmet to keep the sun out of my eyes - no not in the car, on the bike.

But I don't see how that helps when the glare is off a wet road surface, but I might be missing something.

BTW, I jumped in here a few days ago with car related comments, overlooking the fact that this topic was in the cycling department. Sorry.

Best wishes all,
Dave.

Get a GOOD pair of sunglasses. I've been using bronze lensed oakleys with gold iridium coatings for years and they are superb. No glare, enhanced colour definition & contrast. F'ing expensive for what they are though, and heart wretching when you drop/scratch them. (good manuf. replacement policy though). Ideal for summer or winter use.

Or cheap yellow lenses - cheers you up no end, all bright & sunny looking, cuts down on the glare a little bit.