What Type of Light is Best to Wear For Night Running Safety?

With all the crazy drivers that there are today, there is a big risk faced by night runners and bikers. It is hard for the drivers to see them and stop in time before they get hit. So how can these people stay safe?

One of the most common methods is by using an LED light which captures the drivers attention quickly, making them stop and saving the persons life. But which color lights ensure the most safety for that person?

Hello and welcome to the first post of the light sock series! In this chapter of videos, we will be testing out and attaching different types of lights and electronics to our socks to discover their uses. We will include LED’s, reflection lights, glow sticks, and more. In this episode we are testing out different colors and operations of LED lights in order to find out which one is most noticeable for the human eye in the dark. This way, runners will be noticed when they run early in the morning or at night.

To be specific, we are testing out three different colors of LED lights: green, red, and white. To do this, we attached the light to the sock by putting it inside the pocket and then took a clip of me running with it, testing out all the colors in the process.

The next thing that we tested was the difference between a constant light vs a strobe (blinking) light. In order to find out, we attached the light to the sock again, this time with the blinking setting and the regular light setting.

After testing each and doing some research, we concluded that the most noticeable color was the green light because our eyes see it easier than all other colors due to its frequency. Red is also a good choice since it has the longest wavelengths out of the light spectrum, meaning that the color will be seen from farther away. In addition to this, the rods in your eyes (activated when low light levels are present) are sensitive to movement or blinking, meaning that a strobe light would be a better choice for night running.. In conclusion, the best way to stay safe and visible would be a green or red strobe light.

Let us know which light you thought was the most visible!