Last Updated on February 10, 2023 by Matt
There will be many times when you will need (or want) to ride your scooter at night. There are a few extra things you should keep in mind to stay safe and have a pleasant ride.
These are the critical electric scooter night riding tips:
- follow basic safety procedures as usual
- be aware of your local laws for night rides
- always wear your helmet and protective gear on
- check your scooter’s battery and electronics before going for a ride
- always have your lights on
- wear reflective clothing
- slow down
- stay in familiar and well-lit areas
- stay vigilant
- if possible, ride with a companion
- be extra alert during dusk and dawn
- always have a charged cell phone with you
We will explain what each of these means in more detail.
Follow basic safety procedures
Whether riding in the night or the day, safety comes first. The same rules will apply.
I recommend going over our complete safety guide.
We will cover the most critical points of it here as well. In addition, we will adjust them for night rides.
Still, it’s wise to be aware of everything you should do in order to increase your safety.
Be aware of your local laws for night rides
Knowing the traffic laws and regulations for electric scooters in your city or country is just the start. You should also be aware if there are any other additional laws that apply for riding at night.
Electric scooters are still largely unregulated. That means, in many regions, there are no specific laws for them.
If that is the case with your city or country, your best bet is to talk to someone in the know.
Also, learn the laws for bicycles, motorcycles, or some other personal transportation vehicle. Chances are, in the absence of scooter-specific laws, the police will try to enforce the bike laws.
Often times, the laws for night riding will require that your vehicle has working lights. This applies to both the head and the tail ones.
It’s very likely that you need to wear reflective clothing as well. This is a good rule of thumb, but make sure you do a bit more research.
Always wear your helmet and protective gear
This is a general safety rule, but it is even more true for night rides.
Riding at night means reduced visibility, both for you and for other participants in the traffic. That makes falls and accidents more likely to occur.
It is always important to wear your scooter-appropriate helmet in the least. The optimal gear would include elbow and knee pads, and a few other safety accessories as well. This is even more true for night rides.
Check your scooter’s battery and electronics before going for a ride
You must make sure that everything works on your scooter before riding in the night. Trust me, it is not fun at all to realize that your headlight doesn’t work halfway into your ride.
Related to that, you also need to have your battery as close to full as possible.
Lights are one of the biggest expenditures of battery power. Leaving home with an almost empty battery at night is almost guaranteed to end up with you being stuck on the road, with a drained scooter.
Always have your lights on
This is critical. Always have all of your available lights turned on at night.
Most scooters will have at least a head and a tail light. Both need to be on at all times. It can literally make the difference between a regular ride and a traffic accident.
Some scooters will have extra lights. They can be on the bottom of the scooter, or maybe in some other unusual position.
Some models have lights that are more on the decorative side. For instance, the cool disco lights that shine from the deck and make some visualizations or animations.
Wherever they may be, it is a good idea to have all of them turned on. They can only help others see you and react to you in time.
Electric scooters are very light and small compared to other vehicles on the road. They are also very silent.
Those are generally positive things. However, they can make you a little more inconspicuous than you would want to be during the night.
That’s why it is critical that every possible light on your scooter is turned on.
It helps other participants in traffic spot you and react to you in a timely manner. Furthermore, it will also prevent you from being pulled over by the police. Riding anything without lights in the night is likely illegal. See my guide on electric scooter lights to find out more.
Wear reflective clothing
Your electric scooter will likely have lights on it. However, how strong they are will vary. Some scooters have very weak lights. They may not do a good job of letting others know about you.
That’s why it’s also a good idea to wear reflective clothing.
The best idea is a fluorescent vest. This will fit over your regular clothing, and will always be an extra way to keep others informed about your position in traffic.
You can get a reflective vest for cheap on Amazon.
Slow down
Because of reduced visibility, riding at high speeds will not be a good idea.
You will not be able to anticipate the challenges of the road.
Not to mention you will be much harder to spot for others as well.
Keep in mind that, wherever you need to go, you are already moving faster than a pedestrian. Riding fast at night is just inviting trouble. Slow down and pay attention to the road – you will get there.
Stay in familiar and well-lit areas
I’m a firm believer in preparing your route beforehand. Especially so when riding in conditions that are not ideal.
While I love riding at night, I only do it in very familiar areas. I like to know that the areas are well-suited for scooter rides.
Plan your route before you start your ride. Make sure you are riding through well-lit areas as much as possible.
As we said, scooters do not attract a lot of attention. That means drivers or pedestrians may not be able to see you that well.
If you choose to ride through areas with great lighting, you will alleviate this problem.
Stay vigilant
You should always be focused when riding, but even more so when riding at night.
The reduced visibility will create additional challenges, both for you and for others on the road. You will need to be at 100% focus.
Besides, you will be riding alone, on an expensive piece of equipment. Electric scooter theft is not uncommon. As they get more popular, they become targets of theft more and more often.
Keep the eyes on the back of your head open, and try and ride through familiar areas. Make sure you lock your scooter properly if you’re leaving it somewhere.
If possible, ride with a companion
Whenever you can, ride with someone else at night.
It’s not only safer for multiple reasons, but it’s also much more fun.
Be extra alert during dusk and dawn
A critical time of the day is when the night changes into day, or the day changes into night.
It is not exactly bright, and not exactly dark.
Many vehicles will still not have their lights on.
All the colors will be blunter. The shapes and contours will be harder to recognize. There will be less distinction between objects.
The dusk and the dawn periods don’t last for too long. Still, they can be very tricky. Stay extra alert during those times.
Always have a charged cell phone with you
99.99% of the time, you will not have any issues while riding at night.
But you never know what might happen.
That’s why it’s a great idea to have your phone with you, with its battery fully charged.
Whatever happens, you will have a way to call for help. You can call a friend, call a cab, or find any other way to get home. So don’t ride out without your phone.
Can you ride electric scooters at night?
The answer might be different according to where you are.
Chances are, you will be allowed to ride your electric scooter at night without any issues.
But there are a few places that specifically don’t allow riding at night. That’s why you should educate yourself about your local laws. Make sure to figure everything out before riding at night.
