Slow vehicle safety

Tlauden · Jul 8, 2011

dittle said:
Not to be a PITA but before you guys go out and spend a ton of money on new gadgets and reflectors to go on the back of your vehicles remember:

All of these add ons will not prevent a retard behind the wheel from hitting you

Day or night, good or bad weather, interstate or back road, I always drive the same. Headlights and taillights on, my strobe light on (I added a single strobe on the drivers side where the military puts convoy lights) and if I hit a hill and loose speed the four ways come on. Legally I don't have to do anymore than that and it's the little zippy sports cars that are the A-Holes to me. Truckers see me going slow and move over and pass and most the time I get a friendly wave. But the regular civi vehicles are the ones who fly up, ride my a**, speed around me, then cut back over... They act like I'm a huge problem out there doing 50 mph down the highway... There's plenty of room to pass safetly so I don't see why they can't. If the big rigs pass me safely the others can too...

And no one here as ever sId anything about me running with the strobe goig and if someone would question, my answer is it's a safety measure.

I could go out and put tons of strobes on it, put 6 sets of tail lights. A dozen marker lights and paint the back of the truck bright orange. But in the end if someone is going to hit me there's nothing I can do to stop them. I just hope the person who does rear end me didn't like there vehicle cause I would hate to see a sports car vs deuce....

Tyler

USAFSS-ColdWarrior · Jul 8, 2011

islandguydon said:
I was thinking of 3-M reflective tape, this stuff will stick on and will not come off, when a headlight approaches sometimes it is hard to distinguish the difference between a light and the tape, this comes in GREEN and the typical RED and WHITE. Personally I would go with GREEN.

That's my

Hmmm... please check your "two cents" as I think you might have FORIEGN CURRENCY there.

In most, if not all, jusridictions in the United States and Canada display of GREEN lights or reflectors on a vehicle is ILLEGAL as they can be easily confused with a GO Traffic Signal and provoke a reaction of RELEASING the BRAKES at a time when it is MOST UNSAFE.

Please check the LAWs in your State to see if your idea holds water.

islandguydon · Jul 9, 2011

USAFSS-ColdWarrior said:
Hmmm... please check your "two cents" as I think you might have FORIEGN CURRENCY there.

In most, if not all, jusridictions in the United States and Canada display of GREEN lights or reflectors on a vehicle is ILLEGAL as they can be easily confused with a GO Traffic Signal and provoke a reaction of RELEASING the BRAKES at a time when it it is MOST UNSAFE.

Please check the LAWs in your State to see if your idea holds water.

I guess your right, just thought since 3m made the **** and it is DOT approved it was fine. I guess I better rethink that one. Thanks man.

wjruth · Jul 9, 2011

Around here green lights are for incident commander and at one time it was also used in someplaces for civil defense

deuceaid · Jul 9, 2011

Recovry4x4 said:
Now I don't claim to be the sharpest knife in the drawer so please enlighten me on how a vehicle speeding up behind you cuts you off.

you sir, have never steped foot in california, plain and simple

goldwing2000 · Jul 9, 2011

I've found that one of the best safety mods I've made to my Deuce is a GPS stuck to the winshield in front of the steering wheel. Besides the obvious fact that it can show where you're going, the speed readout feature keeps my line of sight on the road instead of having to look WAY down to the middle of the dash all the time to see how fast I'm going.

And since it's below the level of the hood in my vision, it's not even obstructing my view.

Welder Sam · Jul 9, 2011

I dig that idea. I will undoubtably incorporate this into my precautionary measures. Ty sir

cranetruck · Jul 9, 2011

goldwing2000 said:
I've found that one of the best safety mods I've made to my Deuce is a GPS stuck to the winshield in front of the steering wheel. Besides the obvious fact that it can show where you're going, the speed readout feature keeps my line of sight on the road instead of having to look WAY down to the middle of the dash all the time to see how fast I'm going.

And since it's below the level of the hood in my vision, it's not even obstructing my view.

On a long trip you'll find that the gauges are your best friends and you can't have to many of them. I'm constantly glancing at all of them, and particularly the EGT, which is indeed mounted in front on the steering column.
The turn signal switch is wired to the "low air" buzzer, so that I won't forget to turn it off, no good signaling a turn when you aren't going to turn.

Welder Sam · Jul 9, 2011

Oh how im learning! Thanks fellas

goldwing2000 · Jul 9, 2011

cranetruck said:
On a long trip you'll find that the gauges are your best friends and you can't have to many of them. I'm constantly glancing at all of them, and particularly the EGT, which is indeed mounted in front on the steering column.
The turn signal switch is wired to the "low air" buzzer, so that I won't forget to turn it off, no good signaling a turn when you aren't going to turn.

Agreed. You definitely need to keep an eye on everything but speed is the most often checked, so the best kept near line-of-sight (hence all the newer cars with "heads up" speed displays on the windshield). The best thing for keeping an eye on the other gauges is a Soldier B! [thumbzup]

I like the idea of tying the turn signals into the low air buzzer. Might take some getting used to but an audible device is always helpful. After a lifetime of riding motorcycles, I'm pretty used to non-canceling turn signals but it never hurts to have extra reminders.

Welder Sam · Jul 10, 2011

My phone has a speedometer on it. It will also show as a mirror image so it refects onto the windshield. I use it alot in my bus (91 suburban) at night in the middle of nowhere. Its nice because it doesnt blind me and allows me to dim my interior lights

1redgmc · Jul 10, 2011

cranetruck said:
On a long trip you'll find that the gauges are your best friends and you can't have to many of them. I'm constantly glancing at all of them, and particularly the EGT, which is indeed mounted in front on the steering column.
The turn signal switch is wired to the "low air" buzzer, so that I won't forget to turn it off, no good signaling a turn when you aren't going to turn.

I've searched threads for quite a while trying to see how you would wire signals to the low air buzzer to no avail. Either I am using the wrong keywords or something. Is this a simple task? I presume it is? I'd really like to set mine up like that.

Thanks

kastein · Jul 10, 2011

As long as both are positive switched 24 volt signals, just get a 24 volt relay, wire the coil across the lines for the turn signal (or turn signal blinker module, I'd have to check the wiring diagrams) and the NO and COM terminals on the relay across the pressure switch for the low air buzzer. You could wire them together directly but then low air will make your blinkers turn on which probably isn't a good thing.

Welder Sam · Jul 10, 2011

Them coming on could be an immediate notification that the vehicle ahead has trouble. Thats what i plan to do if itll work

Flyingvan911 · Jul 10, 2011

Recovry4x4 said:
Now I don't claim to be the sharpest knife in the drawer so please enlighten me on how a vehicle speeding up behind you cuts you off.

He was driving backward to avoid the drivers behind him. :driver:

Here are a few more pics of my magnetic reflectors.

Welder Sam · Jul 10, 2011

Rustygears · Jul 10, 2011

goldwing2000 said:
I've found that one of the best safety mods I've made to my Deuce is a GPS stuck to the winshield in front of the steering wheel. Besides the obvious fact that it can show where you're going, the speed readout feature keeps my line of sight on the road instead of having to look WAY down to the middle of the dash all the time to see how fast I'm going.

And since it's below the level of the hood in my vision, it's not even obstructing my view.

I guess we can call it the 'Fudd HUD'

Nice idea!

Welder Sam · Jul 10, 2011

Hang rear facing big orange sign that says "DUH!! BIG GREEN (or whatever) TRUCK!!"

pwrwagonfire · Jul 10, 2011

I like the painting inside of the lights silver that was mentioned here, good idea!

We just put a bunch more DOT reflective tape on the sides of our tanker at work (deuce and a half), so many idots out there driving nowadays...

I always use my flashers when going up long hills, and try and have a chase vehicle if possible. When going to fires I always make sure to run all the red lights even if I am crawling up a hill in the climbing lane, makes me more visible and seems to cause people to slow down and back off a bit; granted this IS A firetruck however...so we have flashing lights :razz:

velociT · Jul 11, 2011

deuceaid said:
go sharpen yourself, while the rich run around you....ha ha..bla ha ha
rock on guys

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UNExJi5xIs[/media]

Ah geez. I was at the Dallas, Texas stop of that Gumball Rally that year. I met quite a few people in that video.

Talked to the guys on the Ducatis that were in the video, they were hilarious and still in good spirits despite riding straight from the Tennessee stop. Crazy europeans.

The Texas guys in the silver Porsches came to Austin for a hill country ride soon after, and I got to drool on the German gentlemans Audi RS8 wagon years before they started selling them here.

Slow vehicle safety

Member

Chaplain

Well-known member

Member

Banned

Banned

New member

Moderator

Attachments

New member

Banned

New member

Member

Member

New member

Well-known member

Attachments

New member

New member

New member

New member

New member