How To Make Your Wheelchair Visible In The Dark

Stingray Branding • April 11, 2022

When you’re in a dimly lit setting, seeing other people and objects is obviously more difficult than it is when more natural light is flowing around you. This isn’t good news for anybody (or anything) in that setting, but naturally, the hazard is magnified with people in wheelchairs who might not be able to move out of the way of another person or object so easily.


One such specific example might be if you’re trying to cross a street that isn’t lit too well. The most important thing is that you’ll want cars to be able to see you. So how can you make sure that happens?


White LED Headlights Will Make Your Wheelchair Visible From The Front


Cars and motorcycles make sure that other people and vehicles can see them with bright white headlights. The idea is that if someone is standing in the car’s path and sees bright white lights, the person will know that a motor vehicle is headed in their direction, and they will be jarred into taking action that removes them from harm’s way. The same concept can be applied to wheelchairs; if someone sees the bright white lights of a wheelchair in a setting without much light, they’ll know that something is coming toward them. The great thing with adding lights to wheelchairs is that you have a few different places to potentially equip your headlights. You can attach them underneath your armrests, to the frames, or to the metal skirt on the sides. 


Red LED Taillights Will Make Your Wheelchair Visible From The Back


Just as white headlights alert people to the presence of a vehicle that’s facing them, red taillights tell people that they’re facing the back of a vehicle. As red lights are darker than white lights, people who see them won’t be jolted into taking immediate action to get out of the vehicle’s way, but they’ll still be made aware of its presence in front of them. You can easily equip these taillights to the back of your wheelchair.


Add Small Holiday Lights To Your Wheelchair


Headlights and taillights are very helpful, but if you really want to go all out in terms of making your wheelchair visible, a string of pretty holiday lights will do the trick. While not as powerful as LED lights, a set of holiday lights can provide light from multiple different places, meaning if some of them are obscured from view, it’s still possible for people to be able to view the others. Meanwhile, something standing between you and one bright white light could block that light, and result in you not seeing it until it’s too late to get out of its way. You can organize these holiday lights to stretch across the back of the wheelchair, surround the circumference of your wheelchair’s wheels, or hang beneath your armrests.


Are you in need of wheelchair assistance? Reach out to the Custom Care Carriage team, and we’ll get you situated! 

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