Biking at night is a potentially dangerous activity that can be made exponentially safer by following a few simple rules.

Always Use a Lighting System
Using a lighting system at night is the best way to prevent accidents caused by invisibility. Lighting systems can be battery operated, or even conducted through a generator. There are LED systems, halogen systems, and many others. In addition to having a reliable headlight system, a night cyclist should also have a tail light or other identifying marker on the rear of the bike. The most popular forms of tail lights are xenon strobes which blink and can be seen up to a mile away.

Always Wear a Helmet!
You may disdain this rule as one for youngsters, but that doesn't change the fact that wearing a helmet while cycling saves lives everyday. Did you know that most accidents involving bicycles don't even involve passing motorists? Most deaths and injuries related to biking come from an accident where the cyclist was not wearing a helmet and hit their head on the ground or an obstacle. So, take the time and blow to your ego and simply put on a helmet. It could very well save your life.

Wear Bright Colored Clothing
While the color of your clothing may not matter as much if you are biking at night, during the day it is a great way to make sure that motorists and other pedestrians see you coming. Wearing bright colors like orange or yellow make you as a cyclist easier to see, decreasing the chance of an accident.

Check Your Bike Before Riding Out
Before taking your bike out for a ride always check and make sure that it is in proper working order. This means checking the brakes, tires, and even the handle bars and steering to make sure that an unexpected accident won't occur as soon as you leave the house.

Always Ride WITH Traffic
You may have been taught to walk towards oncoming traffic, but in biking the rule is completely the opposite. Especially in large cities motorist won't be looking to see if there is oncoming traffic as they are usually traveling on a divided highway. By traveling with traffic you can be sure that passing motorists will see you and be aware that you are sharing the highway with them.

Ride as Far to the Right as Practical
It is important to remember when biking with motorists that you are the low man on the totem pole. Their forms of transportation are much bigger and more powerful than yours. Keep as far right as you safely can and maintain as large a distance as you can between yourself and the motorists to your left.