nobody sees the miata!

[ozzie84]

within this month ive been almost run over about 5 times (4 of them were trucks), even while honking and all....this is much more than when i was riding my motorcycle

so now im wondering, what do yall do to avoid this? i was honestly thinking of putting a friggn train horn just to make noise....

[sammm]

http://www.amazon.com/Wolo-Model-419...o+bad+boy+horn

[trickyrix]

Air horn and heads-up driving. I work the traffic and make sure I've always got an out. And I don't ever, ever, ever linger right beside some other dipshit on the road.

[POS Racing]

It isn't just a Miata thing. I have a bright Yellow Ford Ranger and it suffers from the same issue - folks too busy talking on the phone, or texting, makeup application, or whatever the f*ck they are doing other than driving.

WTF is up with holding your Iphone in front of you while talking what exactly does that accomplish? Is it like hands free with the added advantage of using your hands???

I drive offensively and and with the mindset the truck is totally expendable. It has lessened my stress level a great deal from back when I daily drove a Miata.

[OZMDD]

Yep, you've just got to be on the lookout for the dipshits. They reveal themselves pretty easily by their inability to keep pace with traffic and their overly-gradual lane changes. And swerving, obviously.

[ozzie84]

i was just surprised the last time, yesterday, guy in a truck just slowly started going on my line, not giving a f*ck if anybody was there. good thing i was able to avoid him, but those are the times i wish i had a paintball gun and just go at it

[SirHustlerEsq]

If you think it's bad in a Miata, give cycling a try. The first few months was pretty horrifying for me.

[hornetball]

Combination of offensive and defensive driving. Offensive in that you need to pass rapidly and purposefully. Defensive in that you stay out of blind spots and watch everyone like a hawk. Think of it as an HPDE. Stay back -- make yourself visible in the mirror and, when it's time to pass . . . pass. You're the one in the fighter after all.

Of course, none of this helped me the day a Peterbilt stopped behind me at a light at Cresson, noticed his trailer was still on the tracks, and slowly crept into me pushing me into the next car. He forgot I was there (short term memory) and couldn't see me over his hood. The trucker's insurance company fixed the car at least, but it sure is unnerving having a Peterbilt grill 4 feet from your head with no out.

[Rogue]

but it sure is unnerving having a Peterbilt grill 4 feet from your head with no out.

Yep, my wife was turned 90* across the front of a Western Star at speed on 35W.
She was looking at the grille when it pushed the door mirror in, thats how close it was.
It was Halloween and the driver had a hook, like he was an amputee driving a Semi. (no patch though)
She is still shook up by it, so I have to do all most all the freeway driving,
She certainly will not go downtown FtW 35W.

[general default]

I just tow my MX-5 and run the other people off the road with the trailer.
Some scary stories there.

[Dave04]

Yeah... Even with my 3/4 ton diesel and an 18' horse trailer that is 7.5' tall... people still act like they never saw me... so I'm not sure it's a size thing... just a lack of attention

[Webspoke]

i was just surprised the last time, yesterday, guy in a truck just slowly started going on my line, not giving a f*ck if anybody was there. good thing i was able to avoid him, but those are the times i wish i had a paintball gun and just go at it

I always thought the paintball gun thing would be a great tool. The less considerate driver will have more paint marks on their car, easy to spot from a distance.

[Nails]

What Rick said. "Always have an out". Evasive driving, not defensive.

[trickyrix]

[ozzie84]

i actually learned those while riding a motorcycle, i always used to say"riding like you were a ninja, ride like nobody sees you" which is true

[effse7en]

These have worked well so far...

[karter74]

It becomes brutally obvious how little people actually use their mirrors when you can drive down the highway and spot more than one truck with their side mirrors tucked in. I see this quite regularly on my commute.

[ozzie84]

effse7en - are those hella horns?

[SirHustlerEsq]

It becomes brutally obvious how little people actually use their mirrors when you can drive down the highway and spot more than one truck with their side mirrors tucked in. I see this quite regularly on my commute.

I estimate that 40-50% of the time, America is on the phone while driving. I see tons and tons of cars zig-zagging in the street from my bicycle, all on the phone. This is another example of why we don't need citations for "driving while texting," we need citations for reckless driving.

[black roadster]

effse7en - are those hella horns?

They're Hella SuperTones and they're loud as f*ck. I have some on my Miata. Not as nostalgic as air horns but louder. Rogue put 4 old Cadillac horns on his Miata and they're equally as loud and sound awesome coming from a Miata.