How to Stay Safe While Running in the Dark
If you go running after the sun has gone down or before it comes up, you need to take extra care to ensure your safety. So, check out the following ways in which you can stay safe while running in the dark.
Wear Clothes and Accessories That Make You Visible
It is imperative that drivers and other people can see you, so make sure you wear high-viz clothing and accessories. These days, there are more products than ever before to keep you lit-up while running. You could choose bright headlamps for running, to ensure you can be seen and you can see others.
Alternatively, you could opt for reflective accessories like belts and backpacks. It is essential you can be seen from the front and the back, so consider that when you select your clothing and accessories. Another option for ensuring you are visible when running in the dark is to use an innovative new product called Safety Skin. Simply roll-on reflective stripes onto your skin for a strong glow in the darkness. It is made from a hypoallergenic wax, so it will stay in place even when it rains, or you become sweaty.
Avoid Listening to Loud Music
Running while listening to loud music is a fantastic way to get your adrenaline pumping and feel motivated. However, you need to make some adjustments to your music choice when running at night if you want to stay safe. If you listen to loud music, you will not be able to stay fully alert to what is going on around you. That means you could be less aware of oncoming vehicles, people and animals. To avoid any nasty collisions or injuries, avoid listening to loud music. That does not mean you cannot enjoy listening to music at all. It simply means turning the volume down or playing less-heavy tunes. The important thing is you can still hear cars and others around you while you run.
Run Against the Traffic
Whenever you are running in poor light on roads, always run against the traffic so that you can easily spot any potential hazards coming. For instance, if you are running down a quiet road at night, and you suddenly see bright headlights coming around the corner, take a moment to slow down and move further away from the road until the vehicle has passed. The more you can see others, and they can see you, the safer you will be.
Take Your Phone with You
No matter where you are, being alone in the dark is more dangerous than being around people in the daylight, so you need to be extra cautious of your safety. But if you do run into any problems, you can immediately get help if you take your phone with you.
Choose a Well-lit Path
One way to stay safe while running outside of sunshine hours is to choose well-lit paths to run. If you always choose well-lit routes, you may not need to invest in high-visibility clothing and accessories. But more importantly, running on a path that is lit means you reduce the risk of tripping and falling. And if you do run into problems, there will be more people around lit paths than dark roads to help you.
