Stupid Signs

[AdamW]

no it wouldnt be legal under the construction and use regulations of the road traffic act

Ah, but is it strictly an infringement? After all, displaying red lights at the rear of the car is within the rules. As is displaying signage (unless you want to stop every tradesman and bumper-sticker owner in the land). So surely combining the two would not be illegal?

Sure, occasionally a policeman may stop you and remind you that it is irresponsible because you might upset some irate road-rager with it. They might even give you a producer, but what is the law that disallows it?

I often wish I could press a button and have the message "What is in my boot that is so interesting that you have to sit 3 feet from my back bumper?" or "Wow, my eyes must be good to see so well in this thick fog that has made you turn your foglamps on!". Or even just the word "To**er" for those really 'special' drivers.

 

[pipme]

Nah .... a nice horizontal row of sequentially flashing lights should do the trick, need to be mounted in a long box on rear parcel shelf, with driver controlled colour masks .. red if the law are behind and the odd blast or two of blue for anyone else ...

BTW

..some irate road-rager ..

As in :-

What is in my boot that is so interesting that you have to sit 3 feet from my back bumper?" or "Wow, my eyes must be good to see so well in this thick fog that has made you turn your foglamps on!". Or even just the word "To**er" for those really 'special' drivers.

Na na nnana .. Kettle calling the saucepan black !! Nighty, night

 

[breezer]

I once looked into having a moving message sign in the back of my vehicle. Several problems though.

You must have one with "superbright leds" other wise it can not be read in day light,
It must be be almost 10 cm tall (something to do with being able to read it at xx yards)
you can only use it when the vehicle is stationairy (wire it to the hand brake) apart from that they are legal

apart from the obvious comment of the police having their (moving / alternating sign) on whilst moving, but who is going to arrest a police officer?

 

[AdamW]

Na na nnana .. Kettle calling the saucepan black !! Nighty, night

Phooey to you! I would like to point out that I bare no resemblance to Harry Enfield's characters "The Self-Righteous Brothers", even when behind the wheel.

 

[securespark]

Anecdote: A mate of mine once had an accident up in Scotland. His car was only saved from going over the edge of a long drop by hitting a sign. The sign said Slow - Dangerous Bend! He never lived it down - but he did live.

In Cornwall near to where my uncle lived, was a 90 deg bend. Ahead of you as you approach the bend was a sign in the rock face saying

"DEAD SLOW - SHARP BEND"

We all laughed like drains as my mother approached this bend for the first time - "Ha, ha, if you don't go slow, you'll be dead!".....

Five seconds later, our car was off the road, a mere foot from the rock...


With ref to the led sign debate:

Many years ago I was driving to Hants late at night. On the (old) A34 near Newbury was a car doing about the legal limit, and I pulled out to o'take. As I did so, a red led sign flashed up in the rear window, "POLICE".

Needless to say, I pulled in sharpish and we continued our respective journeys in a relatively unhurried manner...

 

[pipme]

Hence my idea of a box of single row of led's on rear parcel shelf sequential flashing, driver chosen colours - red or blue - ole !
Give 'ema coupla ripples of blue and I bet they back off pronto !!
P

 

[kendor]

I once looked into having a moving message sign in the back of my vehicle. Several problems though.

You must have one with "superbright leds" other wise it can not be read in day light,

More fun if you use laser diodes

 

[pipme]

Of course if we just want tailgaters to back off .. easy, insert nipple into inlet manifold, fix plastic tube, then run open end into cabin, fix in can of 'Red-X' with a suitable clamp on the tube ... When being tail gated, gently unclamp tube, fluid is sucked into engine and much smoke and unburnt oily c rap blown from exhaust over following vehicle ... nothing as effective as that to cause someone to back off !! Bit of a hassle tho'

 

[masona]

I'm seeing most taxi driver's having a small Chritmas tree lights and decorating lights in my area now. I remember one of them got a fines a few years ago, I don't if it's still the case if not, I hope the police turn a blind eye.