It's already autumn for a while, unfortunately this is often accompanied by dark days. You have probably also noticed that it gets dark earlier and earlier in the morning and is light later in the morning. In the night of Saturday October 30 to Sunday October 31, the clocks will be moved again, so the days will become even shorter for us. It will be a while but December 21 is the 'shortest day' of the year, on this day the time is the shortest between sunrise and sunset. 

The dark days mean that people in traffic are less visible. How often do you see just in time that one cyclist who cycles there without lighting, life-threatening and a major annoyance for many car drivers. The government therefore draws attention to the 'On in the dark' campaign every year. 

The road safety campaigns of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management (IenW) and its partners are conducted under the umbrella of 'Come safe at home'. It is important that you show yourself well in traffic. This is extra important for cyclists, bright clothing and bicycle lighting is very important and ensures that you are clearly visible to other road users. Of course, good lighting for your bike also ensures that you see more on the road in front of you than without lighting. 

Good lighting on your bike and bright or light-colored clothing reduces the risk of accidents. According to Safe Traffic Netherlands 95 percent of cyclists find it dangerous to cycle in the dark without lights. It appears that cyclists in Utrecht, Rotterdam, The Hague and Amsterdam have their bicycle lights on less often than in other cities. It also appears that young people and young adults are relatively less likely to have bicycle lights on than the elderly.

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