Now that we’ve fallen back to standard time, it gets dark early in New York — sunset tonight was at 4:52 p.m. and of course it gets even earlier between now and winter solstice.
Because we like to bike around Brooklyn, that means we’re riding in the dark a lot these days.
I cringe every time I see a fellow biker with no lights. Not only is having a white front light and a red rear light the law, it’s just good common sense to make yourself visible to drivers, pedestrians and other bikers. You wouldn’t drive your car at night without turning on your lights, would you?
Meanwhile I get frequent compliments and comments because I am lit up like a Christmas tree when I ride.

Even though there are more of us biking, I assume many drivers spent decades with the roads all theirs and they might not be used to looking for us. If I’m flashing like a rolling disco, I make it harder for drivers to forget I’m there.

Here’s some of what I use to keep myself visible:

• bright blue flashing lights from Bike Brightz, which I ziptie to my frame so I’m visible from the side — I’m a big fan of Bike Brightz both because you can see them from an impressive distance and because one of my husband’s lights died shortly after we bought it and the company replaced it quickly and cheerfully
• fairy light wires strung through my spokes, which sort of become a blue blur as I speed up
• super bright front flashlight that can either strobe or act as a headlight
• the Vespretty vest from NYC company Vespertine, featuring silver sequins and 3M Scotchlite reflective fabric — I probably get more comments on this vest than anything else about my safety gear, because it’s so flashy. I wrote a guest blog post for Vespertine because I love that they make safety fun and pretty.