Advocacy & Safety - How I get better passing distances...

If you're part of the LAB you already know this technique, but I'll post it anyway for other peoples' benefit.

I bought a realistic looking baby doll, and put servo-motors in the neck and arms, for some animatronic realism. There's a baby seat ( for cars ) bungeed to my cargo rack, with the "baby" facing backward. Drivers see the kid moving around on its own back there, and get into the next lane to pass.

Every now and then some idiot wants to call my bluff. That's what the eject button and raspberry jam filling are for.

LOL! Good one!

How about an orange flag attached to the rear?
But instead of pointing up, it's pointing to the left? :D

The pedal cycle (aka bicycle) literatue terms these "lateral spacer bars" or "horizontal spacer bars" (or in Swedish, varselpinne or stingpinne (http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varselpinne)). The only presently available commercial one I know is the Flash Flag by Flashback (http://www.flashback.ca/flashflags.html):
http://www.flashback.ca/images/flag/bikegear.gif

I've used one of their earlier models and it was OK but when the rod come off the spring, I did not bother to replace it. The Flash Flag has the advantage you can hook it to a seat stay or part of a rack when you want to stow it away. The base of the pole mounts to an extension spring to allow this and also lets the extended flag gyrate wildly, presumable attracting attention.

I think the previous poster's suggestion of a conventional flag but angled off to the side to the width of the handlebars might be better. That would put the flag up near eye level to motorists, particularly SUV and pickups with mirrors that extend from the vehicle. However, this larger angled pole and flag has the drawback of garnering you many more Fred points than the Flash Flag.

Every now and then some idiot wants to call my bluff. That's what the eject button and raspberry jam filling are for.

Rofl, that is freaking horrible! Hilarious though. I usually just move farther to the right, but eject + jam sounds awesome.

I get better passing distances moving left, not right.

I'm also thinking prop blood would be easier to work with then jam.

I get better passing distances moving left, not right.

I'm also thinking prop blood would be easier to work with then jam.

I think the only way to make it convincing would be to use a real baby.
Alrighty. I guess THAT means it is time for bed for me.............

;)

I've towed stuff around in a kid trailer and it was amazing how much space I was given, even on busy roads

I've seen people attach water noodles to their panniers.

I've seen people attach water noodles to their panniers.

those are harmless though, just tempting that one reckless driver

I've towed stuff around in a kid trailer and it was amazing how much space I was given, even on busy roads

I've towed my kid around in a kid trailer and it was alarming how much space I wasn't given, even on quiet roads.

. . . .Every now and then some idiot wants to call my bluff. That's what the eject button and raspberry jam filling are for.

That seems like an unnecessary waste of your resources not to mention the litter problem. Perhaps you would be willing to consider a version that would simply release a light brown viscous biodegradable stream on demand. As an upgrade you could offer the option of directing the stream at a desired target.

That seems like an unnecessary waste of your resources not to mention the litter problem. Perhaps you would be willing to consider a version that would simply release a light brown viscous biodegradable stream on demand. As an upgrade you could offer the option of directing the stream at a desired target.

What Litter problem? What is more bio-degradable than jam. And if the neck is on a swivel and motorized and the jam streams out of the mouth. Turn. FIRE!!!

I personally would mix in some egg with the jam but I'm cruel that way....

hehehe, I love this....

The drunken power weave has always worked for me.

^ + quite a bit. If I see someone coming up to close, I just weave a bit dramatically, they scoot right over. Probably not the safest thing in the world, but better than getting buzzed and possibly whacked with a mirror.

Sometimes I take up the whole road so they can't pass. Its pretty effective.