One thing that is so unfair on this planet is the fact that we are robbed from hours of daylight for months on end.

Luckily, there’s some type of phenomena that happens early in the year where the days get longer and the magistrates allow us to adjust our sundials for an extra hour of sunlight (I have a 8th century knowledge of science).

The natural urge is to take advantage of extra time from the fireball in the sky by taking your bike to the streets, yet we all should yield as everyone adjusts.

 

 

 

Driving home during rush hour(yes, in a car), I couldn’t help but notice the number of drivers that were blinded by the sunset.

I saw a number of vehicles having difficulty: veering across the road, delayed stopping and a lack of awareness around them.

If you look at this CHP accident report from 2012 you’ll notice the highest number of deaths on the road come from 4pm to 9:59pm. That’s as the sun is coming down across the state.

You can argue that there are a higher number of people on the road, so the results should be higher, but you can also argue that more congestion should cause slower speeds.

I’m not going to balance the numbers, but I do know the only time I’ve been hit by a car was when I was driving home into the sunlight.

So my word to all cyclists, beware as the sun goes down, especially when heading WEST. Have a safe weekend.