Warning triangles

[Audax67]

Then there's these damn' seatbelt things. Can't see the need. Don't fancy being fastened in - dangerous if you ask me. Brace yourself, that's all you need.

[ambodach]

Tried one a few years ago on the slip road just coming off the Erskine Bridge while I did a quick distributor repair in our aged Commer. As others found first car ran over it and others just continued to mash it. Bridge staff eventually turned up and retrieved the bits for me and then told me I was forbidden to stop there anyway. Very sympathetic tho' and let the poor teuchter off with a warning not to do it again.

[jezer]

To me they seem to be in the same category as snow chains, and those little lights you used to hang over the driver's window when parked in the street (you youngsters won't remember those)

[[XAP]Bob]

"Forbidden to stop" that sounds much like the "teleport required" bike lanes...

What do you do if your vehicle breaks down?
If I could teleport I wouldn't be using a car!

[Alex L]

"Forbidden to stop" that sounds much like the "teleport required" bike lanes...

What do you do if your vehicle breaks down?
If I could teleport I wouldn't be using a car!

Best be pushing it along, so long as you don't come to a complete standstill. Hope that problem isn't your brakes jammed on, you'll have to carry it.

[Eammno]

Here's an unconventional use of a warning triangle:
I once used mine a few years back to wave at emergency vehicles attending a friends accident that involved a blow out turning the car on it's roof in the outside lane of a dual carriageway, just out of sight over the brow of a hill.
As it was 3am the road was deserted and the first police car on the scene was really motoring as it approached the me, stood before the brow waving my triangle.
After the mess was cleaned up, and the road cleared the police driver thanked me for the warning as they had thought the incident was further along the road, so probably would have collided with my friends upside down car at very high speed.

[ambodach]

If you stop on the exit lanes (or the entry lanes)of the Erskine Bridge unless regs have changed a rescue vehicle will come and tow you away or put you on a transporter which service you will be charged.

[cjchambers]

In the mid 1990s our next door neighbour had a very nice BMW saloon with a warning triangle fixed the boot lid, so as it would be displayed when the boot was up. I think it was also removable and could be mounted on a tripod.

Like this:


Just to prove that we're not the saddest bunch on the 'net, the above photo was taken from an 11 page discussion on boot warning triangles at: http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/die ... hread.html

[thirdcrank]

I knew that some posh motors had those, but my point remains that you (or at least I) don't see many warning triangles in use. This may be lack of observation, of course. I recently started a thread about a big chunk of debris which caused a collision on the motorway. When I was reviewing my footage of the approach I noticed that a warning triangle had been displayed by somebody who was broken down in an unrelated incident. I had not noticed that triangle when I was driving along. (The HC does advise not to display a triangle on a motorway - presumably because of the dangers of roaming about on the hard shoulder.)

[cjchambers]

I agree - I've seen quite a few in use, but I can't think of a single instance where I've seen a warning triangle without having seen the stricken vehicle first.

Given the number of instances of drivers driving into the back of stationary lorries on the hard shoulder, I think we would have to assume that to be effective on motorways, warning triangles would have to be significantly larger than a lorry.

[thirdcrank]

... to be effective on motorways, warning triangles would have to be significantly larger than a lorry.

On motorways and dual carriageway roads, mobile lane closures may be introduced on either the left-hand or right-hand side of the carriageway. More than one vehicle will be used to protect the lane closure. All signs will have flashing amber lamps. A light arrow may supplement the white-on-blue "keep right" or "keep left" arrow, and flash alternately with the amber lamps at the top.

(There is a picture that goes with this of a whacking great sign on the back of a lorry, with mega-flashers as well, but I couldn't work out how to copy it.)

[cjchambers]

I've seen those, yes - I notice that they have a massive impact-absorbing section projecting from the back - just in case! Looks a bit like what you see rugby players practicing their scrummaging on!

[Ian Raleigh]

and those little lights you used to hang over the driver's window when parked in the street (you youngsters won't remember those)

I remember those parking lights you fitted over the top of your window
My Mam was parked on a 40mph road and wisely put her light on the window
she wound the window up and the 'fit' of the hanger on the glass/door frame
was so tight it shattered her door window, we went home freezing with no window


Brother in law broke down in his car and went to help him, when i got there and trying to sort out the car
and to actually find out what was wrong, car after car overtook us really close despite having the hazzard lights
on and when a passing car brushed me dangerously i remembered about my red triangle i had in the boot !

I placed this triangle some 20 metres away down the road from the car and placed it 7 feet into the road
after that every car passed widely and safely by my son in laws broken down car, if any car had ran over
the sign it would have taken a battering and would have still lived for another day ! It was made by SAAB
and was a solid steel with thick acrylic reflectors and was not your usual cheap plastic thing.

[gaz]

.

[thirdcrank]

... Should I have one in my pannier in case of punctures?

Just so long as you don't try to put one out on the hard shoulder of a motorway. You could have one of those natty types as in cjchambers' pic built into the lid of a Carradice Camper.