Operation Manual

44 45
PART II
RIDING AT NIGHT,
DUSK, DAWN
WARNING
RIDING AT NIGHT/DUSK OR AT DAWN
IS VERY HAZARDOUS.
Avoid riding at night. If you choose to ride at
night:
■ Install front and rear lights.
■ Install a blinker or strobe light.
■ Check your state or national laws. Lights
are required for riding at dusk, night, or
dawn.
■ Wear reective clothing.
■ Stay alert, others may not see you.
■ Make sure your bicycle is equipped with
all required reectors, lights, strobes, or
blinkers.
Required Reectors
The location and type of each reector on your
bike is required by a national authority, in the US,
the US Consumer Product Safety Commission
(CPSC). Your GT bike must be delivered with:
1. A front mounted forward facing reector 2. A
rear mounted, rear facing reector, 3. A spoke
mounted reector on each wheel, 4. Front and
rear facing reectors on the left and right pedal.
DO NOT REMOVE, BLOCK, OR COVER
REFLECTORS.
Much Higher Risks At Night
The risk of an accident, particularly being struck
by a motor vehicle, is much higher at night. If
you choose to accept this higher risk, improve
your odds with a proper lighting system, strobe
light, light colored reective clothing and careful
riding. Seek the advice of an experienced bicycle
commuter at your retailer.
Mountain Biking At Night:
Mountain biking at night is risky. Take the
challenges outlined in SECTION C. and add
another level of diculty and risk. Seeing the
terrain is much more dicult at night. Mountain
biking at night is only for skilled mountain bikers,
on familiar terrain, with excellent light systems,
riding with other skilled mountain bikers, and
riding cautiously.
Adding Lighting:
Reectors are not a substitute for proper lights. It
is your responsibility to equip your bicycle with all
national, state and locally mandated lights.
Riding at dawn, at dusk, at night or at other times
of poor visibility without a bicycle lighting system
which meets local and state laws and without
reectors is dangerous and may result in serious
injury or death.
If you ride your bike before dawn or after dusk,
your bicycle must be equipped with lights so that
you can see the road and avoid road hazards, and
so that others can see you. Trac laws treat bicycles
like any other vehicle. That means you must have a
white front and a red rear light operating if you are
riding after dusk. Your bike dealer can recommend
a battery or generator powered lighting system
appropriate to your needs.
Flashing (blinker) and Strobe Lighting
We also strongly urge you to use a ashing light
or strobe. All of us at who ride at night or in
conditions of lower visibility use ashers. They can
save your life. (Yeah, we know there may be legal
issues with ashers in some areas. They can save
your life. Enough said.)