Check Your Tail Lights!

I just about got a scooter coming to work this morning. Cold, dark, rainy, windy, just a a nasty day to be out. Running down a 55mph section of highway in my car, and I see a little, tiny, blinking yellow light ahead of me. I say to myself, "What the hell is that?" About the time my headlights pick it up I realize that it's a guy on a scooter doing about 20mph under the speed limit with no tail light. He was lucky and I missed him but forgetting to turn his turn signal off might be all that saved him. There was a lot of glare on the road from billboards so I didn't see his headlight shining on the road.

My fault? Maybe. I probably should have seen him earlier. Regardless of fault he would have been hurt or killed had I hit him.

The point to the topic? Check your tail light from time to time. Just stick your hand behind the seat with the ignition on and see if the tail light is working. Takes a few seconds and might save your life.

 

That applies to cars as well - check that your lighting is working 100% all the time.

 

Thanks, for reminding us. I do walk around the bike before every ride to check for lights, kick the tires to make sure it not flat and check the chain as well.

 

Aye start the bike as I do the final gear up and put my helmet on.

 

Not a bad safety tip of the day!

 

Thank you SCraig for reinstating how important it is to check lighting. I usually do my check/walkaround after start up while putting on the last of my gear. By saying usually I realize I need to make this a habbit everytime, not just every now and again.

 

Everyone does a routine TCLOCK, don't they. Apologizes for the shameless MSF plug.

KC-10 FE out...
lane: :usa2:

 

Uh ... TCLOCK ... Uh ... Tires, uh, um, Tires, ah, oh yeah, Clutch, uh, no that's not right. Tires, uh, ... Clock!

OK ...
Tires and wheels
Controls
LIGHTS and electronics
Oil and other fluids
Chassis
Sidestand

I freely admit that I had to look it up in my MSF manual, BUT at least I did have an MSF manual to look it up in and I knew where it was.

No apologies necessary, KC.

 

Gun it and guide it my friend. Gun it and guide it.

 

My MSF course predates TCLOCK. We did CEFT: Check Every F***ing Thing :smile:

 

tail, head and brake lights are MUST items on every pre-flight for me.....

in city traffic brake lights are an absolute necessity