If there is one reason to strap on running lights when you are out for an early morning, early evening, or a pitch-black night, besides being able to see obvious dangers such as a pothole, a board with a nail threatening your safety, or vicious dogs that come at you from nowhere, there is another huge incentive for adding running lights to your gear.
And that is, being seen by traffic. Each year, over 6,000 people are killed as pedestrians each year, and thousands more are injured. And quite often, those deaths or injuries come to runners.
What is a running light?
In essence, any illuminating device that warns drivers of a jogger or runner on the streets is considered a running light. Even an ordinary flashlight can be called a running light, although a flashlight is not ideal because it tends to wobble all over, is difficult to carry, and a flashlight tends to break your stride.
Consequently, most runners do not rely on a flashlight. A running headlight, worn around your head is one of the most common types of running lights. A running headlight tends to be very lightweight, and thus makes running with a running light easy. Many runners have different ideas, however. One frequent design is for the runner to strap on a pair of running lights on his or her knuckles. Another popular design is to have running lights built into a running vest or a running waistband. Still another design that is popular is to have running lights as clip onto a runner's shoes.
Naturally, whatever type of running light you wear, it should be rechargeable. Without it being rechargeable, you'll burn up a lot of batteries. A big part of choosing which type of light for runners you'll want to purchase is whether you worry more about seeing obstacles in front of you or being visible to traffic is your greatest concern. It's quite one thing for runners to be seen by the drivers of other vehicles than it is for runners to identify obstacles in the street.
Generally, for avoiding traffic, you'll want running lights that hover as far up on your body as possible. But if you want most to see below you, towards your feet, your running lights would be lower on your body. Almost every type of running light and running waistband is rechargeable with a USB connection, so be sure whichever version you choose it is USB rechargeable.
How do daytime running lights work?
Daytime running lights are obviously to keep you being seen by cars, trucks and motorcycles, rather than illuminated your feet below. Some daytime running lights are nothing more than an extension of a runner's vest with reflective tape on them. The better ones however come with blinking reflector lights in the rear and bright, illuminated headlights at the chest area. Obviously, the more reflective surfaces you have during the daytime, the easier it is for vehicles to avoid you.
Most daytime running lights have more reflective surfaces at the back of the runner rather than in the front because it is assumed that the runner will be hit by an auto from the side or behind rather than being hit by oncoming traffic.
To be perfectly honest, many people dispense with daytime running lights, but they do so at their peril. At the very least, unless you are running or jogging alone a jogging trail with no vehicular traffic whatsoever, you definitely need at a minimum a running vest.
And if you are running early in the morning (studies show the majority of runners strap on their running gear at 6 in the morning) then you should definitely be wearing your running light. The same goes for those who are running or jogging at dusk. Just because you can clearly see on the street does not mean that cars and trucks can see you.
Are running lights required
A few cities here and there may regulate and require the use of running lights for joggers or runners, particularly if there is a special jogging lane on city streets. However, for the most part running lights are completely unregulated. And even in the rare cities that may have such ordinances, they are rarely enforced. The plain fact is, that being seen is a defensive game, and most cities advise runners not to run on the streets at all. Of course, that is often unpractical advice as a jogging or running trail may be several miles away.