The dark nights are drawing in and both morning and evening commutes are swathed in darkness. It’s the time of the year to light up your bike and yourself in an attempt to stand out on the roads.

I heard the police caught a record number of cyclists without lights last week in operation catch a winter cyclist. It happens every year. The night after the clocks go back they station themselves on prominent corners of the city and haul you over for a lack of lights which results in a fine and a telling off. I hear the fine is still £30, but is also redeemable at the police station if you show up with lights and a receipt showing you made good the lighting situation on your bike, which is quite decent of them.

It’s utter madness to cycle around without lights and it’s not only for your own sake. Sharing the road we cycle on we need to mark each other out. It’s terrifying driving and even cycling down the road to suddenly see a cyclist at the last moment with no lights and dark clothing on. If you didn’t know, it’s the law to have front and rear lights on your bike and there are no excuses, no lights no ride.

I feel I can show off and say I didn’t forget my lights. Well, actually I did but luckily they are bolted to my bike already. Therefore I never go out without them even in the day. This is definitely the way forward for all city cyclists. There are rear LED lights which bolt permanently to your pannier rack or mudguard and if you are one of those lightweight obsessives there are brackets that can go under your saddle to attach a bolted light to. For the front there are vintage looking battery lamps from the UK but my bike shop in Jericho also stocks decent modern looking ones from Germany and the Netherlands. And who can forget the trusty dynamo system? The pedal powered, ever popular way of powering your lights still comes as a bottle system to run off the side of the tyre or the more efficient wheel hub option which will set you back around £150 with appropriate lights.

But what if you live down a country lane or commute through a park? You need powerful lights to see as well as be seen. Obviously if you want super bright it is going to be costly, but not as much as before as we have seen the price of lithium ion rechargeable battery lights fall in recent years. However, you do not want to leave these babies on your bike when unattended – they still cost enough to make them very desirable for the petty thieves of Oxford.

Another great addition to your self-protection arsenal is all manner of hi-visibility clothing, the yellow vest, reflective jackets, even bright yellow helmets are popular on the roads.

Personally I don’t sport hi-visibility gear. I just stick with the lights and make sure they are bright. I can, however, appreciate the get-up from the driver’s view of a car. Stay safe this winter and get your lights sorted. Don’t be in the dark when it comes to your safety.