Need ideas to make my VX more visible on the Interstate

[jadziasman]

Another close call today on the Interstate and it's only the fourth day of my new slow gas saving speed of 60 to 62 mph!

I was poking along I-96 in the far right lane at 0615 this morning (my part of the earth had rotated enough to face the sun by this time so it wasn't dark) and a large pickup - F250 or F350 came into the far right lane to pass someone in the middle lane and WHOA - WTF - there's a "little red car" in my way. The driver adjusted quickly and passed me too close for my comfort. Part of it is that my VX is only 51 inches tall. I don't think the truck saw me right away when he came over a very modest rise and almost ran into me. He was going at least 80+ mph.

I want to increase my visibility somehow by placing a CB antenna or something like it on the roof to artificially increase the VX's height. I don't want to create any drag though so I wonder what kind of flag or signal I could stick on the roof to be more visible. Hazard flashers are too extreme (at least for now). I just got 51 mpg this week (but at what cost!!!!!!).

Ideas?????

[RoadWarrior]

There's this reflective surface paint you can get from tremclad/rustoleum that's a clearcoat that reflects light like a highway sign or license plate. You could spray it all over in that, then it would glow red in any sunlight or in peoples low beams or driving lights.

Edit: Also you could get one of those pulser circuits like motorcycles use for rapidly flashing the lights, hook up to lowbeam headlamps and tail-lights and drive with the lights on.

Edit2: Get flourescent orange trail marker tape and close a foot or two of it in the top of your hatch, it will flutter and draw attention, you could also use it to sheath an antenna to give it a slightly more aero and visible profile, i.e. fold it around it and stick/staple it together at the back.

[JV-Tuga]

Your car is not small. The guy has to be legally blind.

Statistically speaking light colored cars suffer less accidents. Visibility is probably a factor there but painting your car white will still not make people pay attention if they are oblivious behind the wheel. They'll probably wake up when they hit something. Hopefully it will be a pole or a railing and not your car.

[theholycow]

It sounds to me like you need to adjust your driving style. I think it's not safe and practical for you to go that slow on that road. Sometimes hypermiling isn't the only concern, and don't forget that. You might be able to merely do a better job calculating your optimum position to avoid similar close calls in the future, though -- it sounds like you were hidden next to another larger vehicle.

Speed difference is reportedly the largest factor in accidents on highways. A Civic VX poking along at 60mph is going to get CREAMED by an F250, so for your own safety, you might just want to pick up the pace and pay a few MPG for some safety.

Your CB antenna idea might be doable; paint it blaze orange and put a ribbon, streamer, or ball at the top of it. You can bend it so it's angled back which may help reduce its additional aerodynamic drag.

Originally Posted by RoadWarrior

Edit: Also you could get one of those pulser circuits like motorcycles use for rapidly flashing the lights, hook up to lowbeam headlamps and tail-lights and drive with the lights on.

If that means what I think it means, it will be very illegal. You're talking about strobing the head/tail lights, right?

[101mpg]

I'd also suggest buying the brightest lights for every exterior part of your vehicle you can find. Super-bright taillights help a LOT, side marker superbrights, the brightest headlights you can afford, etc.

Personally I drive with lights on at ALL TIMES. In my CRX I'm smaller than you are and sometimes it means turning on high beams. I'm not a whole lot larger or safer than a motorcycle, and if they have three or four headlights on at all times with HIGH beams - then I will too. Have NEVER been pulled over for it, either. If I was, I'd thank the officer for helping me be safe and it must have been left on accidentally, make sense?

Driving with my high beams on even in the daytime has resulted in LESS (they happen no matter what size vehicle) incidents, but I've noticed part of WHY. Most people are on autopilot. The brighter light makes them THINK I'm closer - so they leave more room if they are in front, or more room if passing, DESPITE having come up from behind!

[theholycow]

I think the brighter light causes glare and they work hard to put some distance between them and you. I HATE glare, it blinds me.

[EH3]

install a red LED light(s) with suction cups to the back hatch glass. have it turn on with the parking lights. it cannot be flashing.

i guarantee that will help visibility because it would be a foot or two higher than the tail lights, and being LED it will be far brighter than your brake lights.

you could also install some reflective tape to the rear edge of the hatch "spoiler" to the right and left of the center brake light. again, high up and reflective= visibility.

[Mr Incredible]

The problem is not that you aren't visible so much as they are a%%holes. I have the same problem only worse...my car is smaller (CRX) and was painted in woodland camoflage. It happens in bright daylight moreso than at night, so they GOTTA be seein' me.

Trucks especially, but most everybody in general, love to mess with me as they pass, like there are extra points given to see how close they can get. Some kind of NASCAR wannabe times a million. Either that or they want to "teach you a lesson" for being such a bother to them by them having to twitch their hand on the steering wheel twice to go around you.

To help at night, though, I added some reflectors to the bumper. The lack of rear lighting can be problematic. I repaired all the rust in an effort to keep the CRX longer and will be painting it back to its original color (Superior Blue). I tempted fate long enough driving a tiny car in a camo pattern, I think I'll try to better the odds for the rest of the time I drive it.

[RoadWarrior]

Originally Posted by theholycow

If that means what I think it means, it will be very illegal. You're talking about strobing the head/tail lights, right?

No it's a very fast pulse rate, not discernible flashes. It's legal above a certain pulse rate, not sure the details. Makes them flicker rapidly, like seeing a TV screen out of the corner of your eye.

[TomO]

Originally Posted by RoadWarrior

No it's a very fast pulse rate, not discernible flashes. It's legal above a certain pulse rate, not sure the details. Makes them flicker rapidly, like seeing a TV screen out of the corner of your eye.

So that is what is happening when I see those motorcycles doing that!

I always thought their magneto was on it's way out, lol.

[Gary Palmer]

Their does seem to be a far greater tendency for trucks and SUV's to drive as if I was not their, when I'm driving my Honda Wagon. I think it stems, from the fact that they can see over the top, so their is some sort of unconscious mental process where they figure they can see over me, so they will drive as if I'm not their. Unfortunately, their also seems to be more aggressiveness in their driving style, I presume because they feel impervious because of the size or height of the vehicle.

In any case, I try to make staying out of their way a higher priority than anything I might be doing to save fuel. I don't think the fuel savings is worth the risk, particularly since most of the risk is to me, but it is in their control.

What I'd like to do is have a top mounted to my car, with a aiming/targeting system and some rockets. Then when someone gets up close I could just enable the targeting system and let them see the nose of the rocket targeting them.

Unfortunately, I think this would probably lead to more problems and risk. I do think I am going to modify my car so that it has the low beams and indicator lights on during the daytime, just so their is a little higher likelihood that they will notice me.

[jadziasman]

To holycow.

I'm not a hypermiler - all I want to do is a steady 60 to 62 mph - no P&G or EOC or any of that stuff - my vacuum actuated cruise control works great at this velocity because engine vacuum is near its minimum (20 in.). I am not going 50 mph uphill - 60 mph is my minimum speed and 63 mph is the top end.

As to blocking traffic -- what's wrong with sharing a six lane interstate at 6:15 in the morning (three lanes in each direction) ??? Traffic is not heavy at that hour. I never get out of the far right lane. I let incoming traffic merge onto the highway by slowing down for them. What the 'f' else do those selfish babies on the road expect from me, huh?

If I was doing this on a four lane highway, that would be more disruptive and selfish on my part. And - I would never do it on a two lane road.

So there.

[RoadWarrior]

Originally Posted by Gary Palmer

What I'd like to do is have a top mounted to my car, with a aiming/targeting system and some rockets. Then when someone gets up close I could just enable the targeting system and let them see the nose of the rocket targeting them.

Sunroof.... empty coffee cups...muhuhahahaaaaa

[R.I.D.E.]

Stick some antifreeze mix in a spray jug and give them a shot. It doesnt clean off their windshiedl easily.

Roll over to the edge of the road and sandblast their windshield with the rubble on the edge.

regards
gary

[theholycow]

Originally Posted by TomO

So that is what is happening when I see those motorcycles doing that!

I always thought their magneto was on it's way out, lol.

I too thought it was either something wrong with the electrical system or bad suspension causing the bike to bounce. I hate seeing that, it's almost as bad as glare to me, I can't look away from it and properly divide my attention.

[theholycow]

Originally Posted by RoadWarrior

Sunroof.... empty coffee cups...muhuhahahaaaaa

Full coffee cups.

[RoadWarrior]

with recycled coffee? ewwww.

I noticed about a month ago, that I wasn't getting tailgated any more...
Then I noticed spots on my driveway...
Then I realised a transmission cooler hose was spraying...


Yeah I fixed it

[oneinchsidehop]

Originally Posted by jadziasman

Another close call today on the Interstate and it's only the fourth day of my new slow gas saving speed of 60 to 62 mph!

I was poking along I-96 in the far right lane at 0615 this morning (my part of the earth had rotated enough to face the sun by this time so it wasn't dark) and a large pickup - F250 or F350 came into the far right lane to pass someone in the middle lane and WHOA - WTF - there's a "little red car" in my way. The driver adjusted quickly and passed me too close for my comfort. Part of it is that my VX is only 51 inches tall. I don't think the truck saw me right away when he came over a very modest rise and almost ran into me. He was going at least 80+ mph.

I want to increase my visibility somehow by placing a CB antenna or something like it on the roof to artificially increase the VX's height. I don't want to create any drag though so I wonder what kind of flag or signal I could stick on the roof to be more visible. Hazard flashers are too extreme (at least for now). I just got 51 mpg this week (but at what cost!!!!!!).

Ideas?????

Last night I put a gas grill on my roof and did my normal slow put up the interstate. People gave me a much wider berth than usual.

Actually antennae with leds at the end are a really good idea. One of the "hot rod shops" that really only sell shift knobs and skull shaped tire valve caps online would probably have them. I know they have leds for windshield wipers and other silly stuff.

I'd probably be cheaper to make your own.

Just think how cool it'd look to have 2 deep sea rod and reels in trolling mounts on your back bumper. Priceless.

(I'm actually nutty enough to do it)

[theholycow]

Odd, when I have terribly secured loads (accidental; I usually secure well) in my truck that look like they're going to jump out at any time, people tailgate me. I guess they think because it's in a truck, I couldn't possibly have made a mistake while securing it.

I love the fishing rod idea!

[usedgeo]

A couple days ago I was in the left lane and an SUV was in the right a little in front on a 40 mph street. The SUV Slowed to turn off and a motorcycle pulled out of the same street the SUV was pulling into. I am sure the motorcyclist never saw me. I thought it was going to be a head on for a second but the motorcyclist managed to hold up and I missed him by a a foot or two. It looked pretty ugly for a split second. This is kind of the other way around but my little Saturn must be hard to see too.

[theholycow]

Ah, that reminds me! When I read the first post in this thread, I thought of this...then promptly forgot it before I got a chance to post it.

Motorcyclists face the same problem all the time. People driving abnormally slow in abnormally small cars should study motorcyclist defensive driving material.

[jadziasman]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/14960392@N03/

A magnetic trailer hitch alignment kit from Harbor Freight - $9.00
Two spring clamps to fasten them to the hatch - 30 cents

The antennae are extended to about 7 feet tall. The maximum height is about 8 feet. Hard not to see me now.

[Wazabi Owner]

Originally Posted by theholycow

Motorcyclists face the same problem all the time. People driving abnormally slow in abnormally small cars should study motorcyclist defensive driving material.

I resemble that remark!! Been a MSF cardholder for nearly 20 years now and had plenty of bikes.

jadziasman- To sum it up, a lot of people are stupid - I've gone as far as printing very visible signs saying the car was a test vehicle and to go around. They can't read, 4 lane traffic and I'm doing the speed limit in the right lane and BillyBob still won't go around. Gradually a few people are driving more conservatively. Hopefully gas goes up another dollar per gallon and that may put people in check. (of course crime has gone up around here and "gas drives offs" are at a record high but that's another thread that hasn't been started yet.)

[slurp812]

Originally Posted by theholycow

It sounds to me like you need to adjust your driving style. I think it's not safe and practical for you to go that slow on that road. Sometimes hypermiling isn't the only concern, and don't forget that. You might be able to merely do a better job calculating your optimum position to avoid similar close calls in the future, though -- it sounds like you were hidden next to another larger vehicle.

I've never known faster to be safer, EVER. The dangerous behavior is the f250 driving too fast. If 60 is the speed limit, then 60 is not out of the question is it? I still like the bumper sticker idea:

"Sorry, but this piece of crap wont go any faster!"

[DracoFelis]

Originally Posted by 101mpg

I'd also suggest buying the brightest lights for every exterior part of your vehicle you can find. Super-bright taillights help a LOT, side marker superbrights, the brightest headlights you can afford, etc.

Personally I drive with lights on at ALL TIMES.

Lights are a good idea, but they are clearly a trade-off.

Yes, they make you more visible, but (due to their electrical power load) they are bad for FE. So you want to use them when you "need" them, but not overuse them (and therefore get lower FE than you otherwise would).

This is true, because in almost all cars (cars with grid charged battery packs are one notable exception) every watt of power you use comes from the alternator (although that electricity may be temporarily stored in the battery before you use it, it still comes from the car's alternator). And where does the alternator get its power from? You guessed it, virtually all alternator power comes from additional mechanical load (and therefore additional fuel use) against the gas engine. So far from being "free" in a car, electricity is actually amazingly expensive (in terms of cost per kilowatt used) in a car. And the more gas prices rise, the more costly that (car generated) electricity is becoming all the time!

As a result, many of us have gotten significant FE gains, simply by saving electrical power in a car. And one of the significant uses of electrical power (fans are another big electrical power drain) is the many car lights burning up a lot of watts of (electrical) power.

OTOH lights are often needed for both safety and legality, so you can't get away from them entirely (despite the FE benefit, if you could). And you are also correct that sometimes when they aren't technically "needed" (from a legal standpoint), some lighting can be very useful in making your car easier to be seen. So we clearly have a trade-off here (saving electricity, and therefore better fuel economy, vs the safety and legal reasons for using lights).

One thing I've found that can make a big difference, is converting your car lights to (very bright, not the cheap bad) LED modules. You can't do this with your headlights, but you can do this with virtually every other light in the car, and the power savings can be very significant. I've done this, and I was able to save several amps of power (when my lights are on). Not perfect, but much better than the electrical load before.

So what do I do? I generally only run my headlights when I think they are really "needed" (often for legal reasons, such as driving at night), because even the low beams use a lot of watts (about 110watts just for the two lights + whatever power the secondary LED lights use). However, I do run my (converted to LEDs) secondary lights (everything EXCEPT the headlights themselves), whenever I feel that turning them on would make my car significantly easier to see. Because in that case the safety concerns override the power cost (only a few watts of power for the entire set of car LED modules, due to the fact that the LEDs are SIGNIFICANTLY more power efficient than the conventional lights the LED modules replaced). However, on really bright days (when I don't think the lights will add much to my car's visibility), I just turn off all my car lights, and go with the lowest possible electrical load (and therefore the potential of even high FE than even my secondary lights give me).

[theholycow]

Originally Posted by Wazabi Owner

Hopefully gas goes up another dollar per gallon and that may put people in check. (of course crime has gone up around here and "gas drives offs" are at a record high but that's another thread that hasn't been started yet.)

I don't hope that. I'm not worried about how much gas others use, just how much I use.

Originally Posted by slurp812

I've never known faster to be safer, EVER. The dangerous behavior is the f250 driving too fast. If 60 is the speed limit, then 60 is not out of the question is it? I still like the bumper sticker idea:

"Sorry, but this piece of crap wont go any faster!"

The first post in this thread is an example of faster being safer. If he had been closer to the prevailing speed, or in the same lane as traffic going his speed, he wouldn't have been exposed to the excessively speeding jerk. You can't control the speed of the other traffic, only your own. If most are doing 80 and a few are doing 95, then 60 is a dangerously slow speed. There are loads of studies that show that (on the highway) speed delta is far more dangerous than higher speed.

One strategy for remaining safe while going significantly slower is to find a cluster of slow-moving trucks and get in with them. They are not only very visible, but everyone expects them to be slow, and is much more afraid to get dangerously close to them / drive erratically around them. You then additionally get to draft, too.

[Wazabi Owner]

Originally Posted by theholycow

I don't hope that. I'm not worried about how much gas others use, just how much I use.

You can't control the speed of the other traffic, only your own.

If gas broke the $5 barrier, I speculate that will weed out most of the idiots - $4 a gallon seems to be doing pretty good so far

Originally Posted by theholycow

One strategy for remaining safe while going significantly slower is to find a cluster of slow-moving trucks and get in with them. They are not only very visible, but everyone expects them to be slow, and is much more afraid to get dangerously close to them / drive erratically around them. You then additionally get to draft, too.

Good advice, I normally try to speed up for a while and look for tractors to tuck in behind - at a safe distance where they can see me.

Still, 60-63mpg in the far right hand lane of a six lane highway where the speed limit is 70mph is not an unacceptable practice and one should not conform to idiots that don't use the left lane for their craziness. The main reason those idiots are even driving that way on the far right lane is they think they are "Flying under the radar" literally. They feel like there is less of a chance of getting caught over there. I know, I used to be that guy.

[oneinchsidehop]

Originally Posted by jadziasman

http://www.flickr.com/photos/14960392@N03/

A magnetic trailer hitch alignment kit from Harbor Freight - $9.00
Two spring clamps to fasten them to the hatch - 30 cents

The antennae are extended to about 7 feet tall. The maximum height is about 8 feet. Hard not to see me now.

Ok, here we need to be fair and face both sides of the coin...

a)the problem you were facing is real and potentially dangerous
b)your solution, is simple, inexpensive and effective
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c)now that you have 2 antennae on there you have to paint a smiley face on the back window of your little ladybug car.