Anyone Tried shining a light on the road to the side of you?

[Ming the Merciless]

If you want more space you want drivers to go WTF when they first see you. They won't forget you are there the entire time it takes to pass, and they will give your WTF a wide berth.

 

[raleighnut]

I worked in a SAAB garage back in the late 70's when they started with 'Daytime running lights', the number of cars that would 'flash' them was incredible it was like "You've forgotten to turn your lights off". Now if you were driving an old Herald or the like with a dynamo then you'd be running the battery down but a modern car with an alternator you can run pretty much every electric device in the car and still be charging the battery.

 

[matticus]

I worked in a SAAB garage back in the late 70's when they started with 'Daytime running lights', the number of cars that would 'flash' them was incredible it was like "You've forgotten to turn your lights off". Now if you were driving an old Herald or the like with a dynamo then you'd be running the battery down but a modern car with an alternator you can run pretty much every electric device in the car and still be charging the battery.

Well. Yes and no ... flat batteries are waaaaay more common in winter (i.e. when drivers have the most electricals running for the most time).

 

[raleighnut]

If you want more space you want drivers to go WTF when they first see you. They won't forget you are there the entire time it takes to pass, and they will give your WTF a wide berth.

I've found weaving a bit helps, if you're riding dead straight and quite close to the edge of the road (not in the gutter but close to) then the number of close passes is scary but ride a bit farther out and weave a bit and drivers tend to give you a wider berth

 

[raleighnut]

Well. Yes and no ... flat batteries are waaaaay more common in winter (i.e. when drivers have the most electricals running for the most time).

No that's knackered batteries, drivers get a quote from a 'Main Dealer' and go "How farking much" cos of the dealer markup when you can get a better battery for half the price from a specialist (not Halfrauds though)

 

[lazybloke]

Well. Yes and no ... flat batteries are waaaaay more common in winter (i.e. when drivers have the most electricals running for the most time).

It's not just the additional power demand, lead-acid batteries just don't work as well in winter temperature, and they particularly suffer if they get v cold when discharged.


And... Isn't there something about oil viscosity and engines being harder to turn over in winter?

 

[Conrad_K]

Another case of something intuitively mandated in the name of "safety" without researching it properly.

Unfortunately there's far too much of that.

The annoying "third brake light" or "Center High Mounted Stop Light" was decreed by the US DOT, based on a "study" of rear-end collisions of Washington, DC marked police cars with or without extra lights mounted on the parcel shelf under the back window. Due to "widest market compatibility" drivers in other countries have been afflicted with them as well.

The "test fleet" was 12 marked police cars with all the police paraphernalia and paint jobs.

The "study" didn't mention how many were rear-ended, or how many had the extra lights (which were pretty common "cop car" stuff back in the 1970s when the "study" was done)

So we don't know how many cars *or* how many collisions they based their legislation on, just that the "study" consisted entirely of drivers so stupid they crashed into marked police cars. I wrote a few letters, and actually got replies, which basically boiled down to "we decided it's a good idea and now it's the law!"

I suspect an awful lot of law is made that way. [sigh]

 

[Ming the Merciless]

All batteries suffer in cold.

 

[Conrad_K]

It's not just the additional power demand, lead-acid batteries just don't work as well in winter temperature, and they particularly suffer if they get v cold when discharged.

Yes. But lead-acid batteries don't do well in extreme heat, either - that's why lots of cars have cooling ductwork to the batteries, for "hot start" problems in summer.

And... Isn't there something about oil viscosity and engines being harder to turn over in winter?

Yes. In northern climates it's common for Diesel equipment to just be left idling when not in use, for days at a time if needed, because the oil will freeze almost solid if they're shut down very long.

 

[raleighnut]

Isn't there something about oil viscosity and engines being harder to turn over in winter?

Mostly negated with modern oils, 5/40 and 10/40 are common the days of 20/50 are long gone and then there's modern ignition and fuel delivery systems, if a car is serviced properly then starting should not be an issue.

 

[richardfm]

Utter cobblers, latest Elf n Safety fad on fork trucks is red halo lights, and a blue light that is mounted front and rear, that projects about 2 meters in front/behind the truck, no one takes a blind bit of notice of them

Isn't a blue light on a fork truck illegal unless it is a fire, police, ambulance, mountain rescue or coastguard fork truck?

 

[presta]

I always thought an extendable light on the rear of the bike that makes you look 2 feet wider would be a good idea but probably a tad impractical.

https://www.oxfordproducts.com/bicycle/brands/oxford/reflectors/fold_out_safety_reflector/

 

[simongt]

no one takes a blind bit of notice of them

Yup. Had those on the FLTs at my last place and no-one took any notice. Probably because no-one told them what purpose they served.

 

[mjr]

Isn't a blue light on a fork truck illegal unless it is a fire, police, ambulance, mountain rescue or coastguard fork truck?

Not if it's not on public roads?

 

[mjr]

[...] but a modern car with an alternator you can run pretty much every electric device in the car and still be charging the battery.

at the cost of consuming more fuel.