Thursday, September 15, 2016

Hey Knuckleheads, get some Knucklelights

It's 7:21 pm right now as I look out my office window in DC. I see folks running up and down Connecticut Avenue, none of them wearing any lighting of any sort. I think there's some delusional idea many of us running in the city have that since the city is so well lit, we can be seen. Unfortunately, the people behind the wheel don't always see it that way.

60 pedestrians died last year in the DC region alone. I'd hazard to say a number of them were walkers or runners out in low visibility times.

I found a great product that is pretty easy to use - and not as dorky as running with a Petzl through the city or suburban streets in the dark hours of fall and winter. The Knucklelight is a rechargeable pair of handheld torches that are comfortable to use, hold a long-lasting charge, and make you very visible to cars, even when you only use one. I have also used them on trails at night, and find it more comfortable then head torches. You can also more easily point them away from oncoming runners or walkers, and also point them at particular hazards instead of having to look down to direct the beam.

I bought mine on Amazon for $59 - a bargain compared to the cost of being hit by a car.

All the specs are available here: https://www.knucklelights.com/product/knuckle-lights-rechargable/