How do you run safely in the dark?

For half the year, a lot of us only get to run when it is dark: before work, after work, or in that grey hour when the streetlights flicker on. Dark runs can be lovely. The city is quieter, the air is cooler, and nobody can see the face you make on the hill. They just need a little more planning than a sunny Sunday lap of the park.

Be seen first

Drivers, cyclists and other people on the pavement are looking for shapes they expect. A runner in black is not one of them. The UK Highway Code's rules for pedestrians give the gist: wear something light-coloured, bright or fluorescent when daylight is poor, and use reflective materials once it is dark, because reflective kit shows up in headlights from much further away.

In practice:

• Reflective bits that move. Bands on ankles and wrists catch light as they swing, which reads as "person" faster than a static patch.
• A bright top layer. A fluorescent vest over whatever you like wearing is the cheapest upgrade there is.
• A small rear light. Clip-on red lights made for runners or cyclists cost very little and are visible from behind, which is where you cannot see what is coming.

See where you are going

Being seen and seeing are different jobs. Streetlights handle the first in town but rarely the second: kerbs, potholes, tree roots and wet leaves hide in the shadows between lamps. A head torch or a chest light lets you read the ground a few steps ahead. Chest lights cast longer shadows over bumps, which some runners find easier to read; head torches follow your gaze. Either is better than your phone in your hand.

Slow down on uneven ground. Night is not the time for your fastest run of the month on a route you have only done once.

Choose the route for the hour

The best dark routes are boring in daylight: familiar loops, lit paths, wide pavements, a promenade, a park that stays open with lamps along the main path. Some ideas:

• Loops over out-and-backs into the unknown. A short loop you repeat keeps you near home and lets you cut it short easily.
• Busy enough, not too busy. Some foot traffic feels reassuring; a dark towpath where you are the only person for a mile may not.
• Facing the traffic. Where there is no pavement, the Highway Code advises keeping to the side where you can see oncoming vehicles. If a road has no pavement and no lighting, it is probably not tonight's route.
• A track session. Many athletics tracks and some clubs have lit evening sessions, which solves the whole problem in one go.

If you are looking for new places to run in an unfamiliar town, our guide to finding running routes in a new city covers how to scout them in daylight first.

Tell someone, and keep your ears open

Tell a friend or housemate your route and roughly when you will be back, or use your phone's location sharing with someone you trust. Carry the phone, some form of ID and a key.

Headphones are a personal choice, but at night your ears do a lot of the work your eyes cannot. One earbud, low volume, or none at all on roads. We have a separate piece on running with or without music if you want the full debate.

Company helps

Running clubs come into their own in winter, with group runs on set routes after work. Running with a friend also makes a cold dark evening feel more like an outing and less like a test of character.