Hi Mikey,
I have biked to and from work for 10 years through all seasons if able. It's pretty dark on the Wisconsin mornings. I invested in a set of lights: headlight and tail light that can be switched on to a strobe pulse. I pulse the red flash for my tail light and keep the head light at a steady beam. I purchased a quality set, about $50 for the pair. I get almost a year's worth of use off a set of Duracell batteries for each light. These lights are a great visibility aid. Also, the headlight is hugely useful if your are biking roads that don't have streetlights, as I did. I aim it to show the road just to the left of my front tire. If there's a white line at the edge of the road, my beam shines on it, at a reasonable distance to the front of my intended path so I can see if there are things in my path I need to avoid.
I also wear the reflective "workman's neon yellow" vest with the reflective strips. Yeah, I admit, they look dorky, but you can't miss seeing them. HUGELY visible. I decide I rather look dorky than be killed. I have reflectors on my pedals and have attached stick-on reflectors to my helmet. I bought stick-on fishing lure reflective tape and used it decoratively to make my backpack (which I wore when biking to work) highly visibly. I received feedback from acquaintances that passed me on the road that I was indeed very visible. I could tell by the way the cars, oncoming and from the rear, re-acted to me as they passed. And, as always, bike defensively. If you are in a collision you will come out on the bad end. Best case is to avoid the danger before it happens. Keep healthy and bike safe,
Sue a.k.a.: bikerchickmomma

And if you have AAA in the US (you'd need to look up your country's auto club rules if not), you and your bike count as a vehicle and qualify for the road services you would get with the car. So if you need a lift because of 1 too many flats, AAA will come and pick you and your bike up and take you the distance you would be granted under the car towing allowance. I've never used it, but my friend has. That's kinda handy for a solo ride.

jacksonpt wrote: »

Something else I thought about on my ride into work this morning...

In addition to the standard head/tail lights, I suggest a helmet-mounted light. It's handy to be able to point a light at oncoming traffic (especially at intersections, coming at you from varying directions) by simply looking their way.

Totally agree with making sure other road users have seen you. The other advantage to having lights on your body, is that the unusual movement also draws attention from other road users. We switch of from stable signals, hence why flashing lights work. I have flashers on the bike and a helmet mounted front and rear light, reflective bands on my ankles and flashing lights attached to my cycling jersey pockets. I am a mobile fairground attraction, but never want to hear the phrase SMIDSY. Be safe and have fun and assume every other road user has not seen you and is out to kill you. Whether they are right or wrong, it is better to be upright and slightly delayed, than you be right and injured.

Another here.....video cam on front/back is highly recommended for "just in case" you need to prove you were in the right or perhaps catch a driver who nailed you. I wear a GoPro on my helmet & a Fly6 on the Seatpost. Captures it all. The GoPro sticks up like a mini square box on my head. Drivers kinda give me a double take. Hey, if it keeps em from tossing an object at me or they decide to hit the brake instead of the gas cuz they see a videocam, am all for that. And the Fly6 is incognito that captures what's going on behind you. Looks like a taillight. Both have audio so any words are recorded. (Fly6 will keep recording up to 20min & won't record over if a crash is detected. ) Great video quality for both that gets license plates, cars, even drivers. Once these were purchased, I just kinda breathed a li'l easier as a solo rider. Felt like I was CYA w/the videos going too.

mikeyrs wrote: »

My entire fam has been all over me about solo riding safety, particularly after dark when I frequently ride on weekdays. So I caved and got myself a RoadID and I also downloaded their RoadID App so I can be tracked using electronic breadcrumbs. I then installed BikeWrappers to my bikes for added reflectivity. And I just received my Torch T2 illuminated helmet for riding on dark streets. Anyone have other suggestions for increasing personal visibility and enhancing rider safety?

Thanks for the idea about the Road Id app. My wife has asked me several times to somehow set something up that would help her find me if I had issues while out riding. Gonna try this out in the next few days.

I use the free Life360 app on my phone. My wife loves to watch my progression as I bike and run.

The Road ID app works perfectly. I tried it this weekend and the wife feels much better knowing I am using it. Thanks again for the suggestion - and it was free to use!

AAA coverage depends on the state, I contacted AAA texas a few months back specifically asking about a pick up (equivalent of a tow) and was told this service was not available in Texas, it is a state by state (club by club) service which is available in some areas and not in others. You may want to check with your division before you count on them to come get you.

Edited to add: If road ID is too expensive, you could always get a set of dogtags with your emergency information, I wear a medical alert dogtag (which allows more info than military standard dogtags though those would work too) every ride, 2 tags (8-10 lines of info each) with neck chains $14 so i have a backup if one is misplaced

Just ordered & received a pair of hi-viz material that velcros around the tubes on my bike from BikeWrappers.com. Easy to put on, they just wrap around the bike frame. $45 bucks. Very impressed with the reflection of the grey side when it hits the car headlights. Lights up like a freakin' white stripe. Then in the bright sun I use the hi-viz "volt" color. Reflection off the store windows was amazed how I stick out, all that obnoxious color. Driver's have to be looking at their phone not to see me!