In the streets and alleys of cities and villages, the busy figures of tricycles can be seen everywhere. Whether it is the express delivery and freight tricycles shuttling through the urban streets to transport goods, the agricultural tricycles carrying agricultural products back and forth in the countryside, or the tricycles of snack stalls in the night market carrying the hustle and bustle of life, they have all become indispensable transportation and travel tools in people’s lives with their unique practicality. However, during the driving process of tricycles, a component that is easily overlooked but crucial – the side lights, is silently safeguarding the safety of drivers and other road users. Side Lights – The Silent “Guardians” of Safe Travel On a drizzly evening, Xiao Zhao, a courier, was driving a tricycle as usual, rushing through the urban streets to deliver parcels to customers. Due to the influence of the rain, it got darker earlier than usual, and the visibility on the road was low. When Xiao Zhao was driving in a narrow alley, a bicycle suddenly appeared coming in the opposite direction. Since both sides of the alley were full of parked vehicles, there was very little space for evasion, and the situation was extremely critical. At this moment of great urgency, the side lights of Xiao Zhao’s tricycle played a key role. In the dim light, the owner of the bicycle, relying on the faint but eye-catching light of the side lights, timely noticed Xiao Zhao’s tricycle and applied the emergency brake, avoiding a collision accident. Xiao Zhao said with lingering fear, “It was really dangerous at that time. If there had been no side lights, the other party might not have noticed me at all. These small side lights really saved both me and him.” The tricycle side lights, whose scientific name is position lights, also known as “width indicator lights” or “position indicator lights”. Despite their small size, their functions should not be underestimated. When the headlights are turned on during night driving, the side lights, together with the instrument panel lights and license plate lights, light up, clearly outlining the contour of the vehicle, announcing the position and width of the tricycle to the surrounding vehicles and pedestrians, and greatly reducing the risk of collisions caused by blind spots during the vehicle’s driving process. The Significance of Side Lights in Different Scenarios On the rural roads, the driving environment of agricultural tricycles is more complex. Uncle Liu, a fruit farmer, has an orchard at the foot of the mountain. The road from the orchard to his home is a winding path, with overgrown weeds on both sides and no streetlights. Every harvest season, Uncle Liu often needs to drive a tricycle to transport the fruits home after dark. “In the past, without good side lights, I felt really nervous when walking on this road at night. It was pitch dark all around, and I was worried that my vehicle was too wide and I might accidentally scratch the trees on the roadside. I was even more afraid that oncoming vehicles wouldn’t be able to see me,” said Uncle Liu. Since he replaced the side lights of his tricycle with high-brightness and wide-view-angle ones, his night transportation has become much more reassuring. These side lights can clearly show the contour of the tricycle in the dark. Even at curves, they can let oncoming vehicles know his position in advance, effectively avoiding scratching accidents. In the city, the tricycles of snack stalls in the night market also cannot do without the help of side lights. Aunt Li runs a snack stall and has to ride a tricycle to set up the stall in the night market every night. On the bustling streets of the night market, vehicles and pedestrians shuttle back and forth, and the traffic situation is complex. The side lights of Aunt Li’s tricycle not only play the role of indicating the outline during the driving process but also, after arriving at the stall, can serve as auxiliary lighting to illuminate the surroundings of the stall, making it convenient for customers to choose food. “Sometimes there are too many people in the night market. If my vehicle is parked there without side lights, it’s very easy for others to bump into it. And with the lights on, the stall looks more lively and can attract more customers,” Aunt Li said with a smile. The Technological Upgrades and Daily Maintenance of Side Lights With the continuous progress of technology, tricycle side lights are also constantly being upgraded. In today’s market, in addition to traditional halogen side lights, LED side lights are favored by more and more drivers due to their advantages such as energy conservation, high brightness, and long lifespan. LED side lights adopt advanced light-emitting diode technology, and their luminous efficiency is several times higher than that of halogen lamps. Under low energy consumption, they can provide brighter and more stable light. Some high-end LED side lights also have intelligent sensing functions, which can automatically adjust the brightness according to the intensity of the external light. They reduce the brightness to save energy when the light is sufficient during the day, and automatically increase the brightness at night or in dim light conditions to ensure the best warning effect. Of course, to keep the side lights in good working condition all the time, daily maintenance is essential. Drivers should regularly check whether the side lights are damaged and whether there is dirt or water vapor on the lamp covers that affects the light transmission. If the bulb is found to be not working, it should be replaced in a timely manner; when the lamp cover is dirty, it should be wiped clean with a clean soft cloth. For vehicles equipped with intelligent side lights, attention should also be paid to checking whether the sensors are working properly to avoid the situation where the side lights cannot be adjusted in brightness normally due to sensor failures. The tricycle side lights, although just a small component of the vehicle, are like the stars in the night sky. On every night of travel, they illuminate the safe path for tricycle drivers, safeguard their travel safety, and become an indispensable safety guarantee on the roads of cities and villages.