just pondering colour choice here..

I got rear-ended by an HGV last thursday in my daily driver, as he wasnt watching where he was going.
had i been hit by a normal car im sure the damage would have been minimal but an HGV has no 'give' and the car looks like its been reversed into a brick wall.
if it was a seven i dread to think of the consequences... :O

ever since i started my build ive been ruminating over the choice of color. I chose orange for mine and have had the -occasional- thought that it might have been a bit bright.

now however, i wish i'd gone for an even brighter and luminous colour!
since the car is small im hoping the BEC wail and bright orange colour might just make people more aware of it, in the same way that bikers usually drive with lights on in the day just so people have more chance to see them.

i realise there isnt really a point to this, just voicing some concerns ive had since being pranged.

That's why I chose yellow

Also why I've chosen Kawasaki Green.
My wife's mx5 is black and the number of times someone has cut us up as they haven't seen it is scary.

so my blue isnt really a good idea then ?

orange orange orange orange orange orange orange orange orange orange

did i mention orange

I was pondering this the other day...

Personally I think they look best in black, but its probably one of the worst colours to be seen next to BRG. Even driving with the lights on all the time might not be enough.

I have seen a few in yellow, and I must say thats the next best colour to black IMO, with the added high visibility bonus. With orange coming a close third. Looks like mine might turn out to be yellow...

I remember reading a car safety report years ago, where they tested this very subject. Amongst their cars they had a day-glo pink car (think Dyno-Rod colour) that had a totally unexpected effect; it was so eye-catching that other drivers used to swerve towards it!

DJ

Fog coloured cars are the worst, sorry, silver. Metalic gray is the same colour as an overcast sky or heavy rain or mist or fog. If you drive on a grey road on a grey day then you are less likely to spot a grey car.

Then again, if your truck driver was looking at the radio, it doesn't much matter what colour your car is.

Hope you are OK Rog.

Visibility and therefore safety is the reason we chose yellow. Audibility and therefore safety is the reason we chose a Yoshi race can

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Originally posted by smart51
Fog coloured cars are the worst, sorry, silver. Metalic gray is the same colour as an overcast sky or heavy rain or mist or fog. If you drive on a grey road on a grey day then you are less likely to spot a grey car.

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Silver / grey are really bad. I have been hit about 10 times by other drivers whilst in various silver cars.

Each time I got the reply " I didn't even see you " (with or without lights - even bright daylight)

I will never own a silver car ever again.

I was thinking i'd paint mine red with silver stripes, but i'm now considering orange.. just like skydivepaul's avatar
i think black is pointless on these small cars and silver is just a tad bit boring innit?

Black stealth look, not looking good! Better check my Bupa cover!

Steve

Reckon I may need a nipple pink helmet so I'm seen!

there was a safety thing a few years ago in sweeden i think.

Basically they realised that cars with lights on didn't get hit as much so all cars had to drive with lights on.

They then found out it didn't work as it became normal.

Another study found that cars with lights on where more likely to get hit in some situations. Because you see it / distracted by it you drive towards it.

Anyone know the laws on using flashing yellow lights? Can you have one on all the time, as most recovery truck drivers would think, or is there a restriction. If not then I might have to fit a couple to my roll bar, given that my car is a black death trap

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Originally posted by robertst
...and silver is just a tad bit boring innit?

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Originally posted by MikeR
there was a safety thing a few years ago in sweeden i think.

Basically they realised that cars with lights on didn't get hit as much so all cars had to drive with lights on.

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My panels are now making their way back from the painters. My main body panels are flourescent red (looks like more orange than red) and my front and rear aerofoil wings will be a flouresent yellow/green.
The flourescent red is so bright that my hammerite red chassis looks grey!

On the point of brake lights and cars hitting you from behind, a high level brake light wouldnt be very hard to install and as the brake lights on our cars are very low they have less chance of being seen. Just mounted under the roll bar would be right in the driver behinds field of vision.

(Off to ebay for a quick purchase!)

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Originally posted by nitram38
My panels are now making their way back from the painters. My main body panels are flourescent red (looks like more orange than red) and my front and rear aerofoil wings will be a flouresent yellow/green.
The flourescent red is so bright that my hammerite red chassis looks grey!

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You can just see our hi-level brake light mounted onto the roll bar... can you?

Oh Bugger... Never thought about the safety aspect of the colour.

Perhaps I will buy some Yellow paint, and turn my Black Viento into Hazard Warning Tape

Now... I just need to learn how to do 90 degree Power Slides at night... to dazzle those bugger with bright lights using the mirror polished stainless steel sides of the Viento

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Originally posted by wilkingj
Oh Bugger... Never thought about the safety aspect of the colour.

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heh heh , had a good laugh at some of these comments on colours, nice to know some people have considered similar things!

im liking hellfires suggestion of getting a yoshi can on 'safety' grounds. might be tricky to convince mr sva of the merits of that.

strange to hear about the silver cars not being seen, oddly enough if i had to explain the colour of my puma it would be 'overcast manchester sky' so i guess that didnt do me any favours!!

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Originally posted by Howlor

quote:

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Originally posted by nitram38
My panels are now making their way back from the painters. My main body panels are flourescent red (looks like more orange than red) and my front and rear aerofoil wings will be a flouresent yellow/green.
The flourescent red is so bright that my hammerite red chassis looks grey!

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Will you post some pics when they arrive?

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if i'm the only one on the road i use lights, to make me more visible to people on side turnings or drives, in town people are looking for cars so lights less needed. mind you doesn't matter what colour it is if people can't see it, eg hidden by other cars, theres no tin top/winodws for people to see through other car windows.
I reckon a set of chav neons on the roll cage should do the trick! In blue to match the car? (may be they could flash as well ti increase visiblity

Chas

me - i gotta porsche 550 spyder replica - but lurve coming here for all the bright ideas !!

anyway this (the original) was James Dean's car and one of the reasons he got mashed was because the car was silver and hard to spot.

mine is therefore orangey/red, and I have fitted a higher level brake light as well - no way would I have a silver/grey car

Bright isn't necessarily the answer. As some have said people steer towards you.

Think about it, on advanced driving courses etc they teach you to look where you want to be, not where you're trying to avoid, otherwise you'll hit what you want to avoid. When they teach you to ski/snowboard, they say don't look at the tree, otherwise you'll hit it. If you drive a bright car, people will look at it, then hit it!

Noise is the answer, not colour

One major way of avoiding accidents is to do what the bikers aim to do - try not to get yourself into situations where you are at risk.

Easy to say, harder to do...

David

so you mean never complete the car, just keep building it .........

explains why i'm still here then

Some of that luminous stuff they stick on police cars would do the job!

Cut into thin strips and, say, put around the edges and the rear facing half of the rollbar. Very bling! Watch the Saxo boys copy that real quick!

Maybe for just rear visibility on the rollbar would be sufficient.

Cheers,
Syd.

after a bit of thinking/talking to the wall, i have changed my mind about the color i will paint mine. i like orange and red. but i have decided on painting it british racing green with silver stripes along the bonnet... very retro imo and the true color of the lotus seven... to hell with peopel not seeing me... what's the horn and the noise from the exhaust for??

Is this bright enough?


Panels on

In the last 10 years, I've had precisely 3 accidents. All in / or green vehicles.

First was on my Kawasaki Green ZX-7R
Second was in my green Omega
Third was in my green Omega

Draw from that what you will....