Low Sun, High Danger!

[wildbears]

If the sun is blinding you, it's time to stop and get off the road! It's blinding drivers as well!

Its that time of year in the US when the sun is low in the sky, especially early and late in the day.

If the sun is blinding you, maybe it's time to get off of the road and your motorcycle.

A low sun shining into the eyes of oncoming drivers adds one more risk to being on the road.

In this case, a big one!

Problems are magnified when vehicles are crowning a hill crest or trees are creating alternating bright and dark sections.

The latter combination results in markedly decreased vision even when the sun is not directly ahead.

So last week I was nearing home after an hour on country roads.

An open area with no shadows or hill crests.

A young driver is ahead waiting to turn left with her blinker on.

The sun is low and behind me.

As I approach the car, I sharply teeter the bike from side to side as a precautionary signal.

Simultaneously the car jerks forward for a short distance but stops without crossing the center line.

Glancing over, the young women's face looks like she has seen a ghost.

Mine too.

[Flyboy]

[wildbears]

Worse than riding in Italy?

Are you still enjoying your Roman Holiday?

[cabnfvr]

Low sun, fog, rain, somethings always out to get us. My personal number one bad time to ride is nighttime fog.

Good mornin' sunshine,

[wildbears]

Florida is cruiser country.

But best to be off the road by early afternoon.

That way you avoid the lunchtime EtOH imbibers (often fellow bikers and people out boating or fishing).

And the silver haired cotton buds before the latter's brains start sun setting (a real medical term).

YRMV

[Flyboy]

[802Mike]

I did like my Aria helmet with the visor. I could tip my head to shade the sun.