Communicating to jerk drivers

[bobhamlin]

In another thread about a-hole drivers during rush hour, Sin City Stan left the following:

My wife always wants to carry a paint gun to fire upon offenders. Now that could be fun.

I commute down I-270 outside DC. Many times, I've begun to mentally design a paintball-like contraption for this exact purpose. Usually after some driver risks my life or someone else's in a maneuver that looks like it is more habit than a single occurance, I return to the design:

• It would have to be discrete. Potential witnesses might not have seen the event(s) leading up to the discharge -- or be sympathetic even if they did. And, let's face it, this response DOES have a "WHAT was I thinking?" aspect to it.[/*:m:asnjlbuy]
• Only needs to be a single shot (discrete aspect). For any subsequent jerks? They'll just be lucky that day.[/*:m:asnjlbuy]
• Easily aimed and fired in heavy traffic. Hands have to remain on grips (but see 'discrete' above).[/*:m:asnjlbuy]
• Non-permanent paint--but requires effort to remove.[/*:m:asnjlbuy]
• Must communicate. How would the driver know WHY the car got splattered? Is there some technology that can leave a durable, readable, "I drive like a jerk?"[/*:m:asnjlbuy]
• Does not splatter. No point involving other innocent cars--or myself. [/*:m:asnjlbuy]

If anyone has ideas, pls contribute to this purely hypothetical discussion.

[Sin City Stan]

Originally Posted by bobhamlin

In another thread about a-hole drivers during rush hour, Sin City Stan left the following:

I commute down I-270 outside DC. Many times, I've begun to mentally design a paintball-like contraption for this exact purpose. Usually after some driver risks my life or someone else's in a maneuver that looks like it is more habit than a single occurance, I return to the design:

• It would have to be discrete. Potential witnesses might not have seen the event(s) leading up to the discharge -- or be sympathetic even if they did. And, let's face it, this response DOES have a "WHAT was I thinking?" aspect to it.[/*:m:8kjk3gvf]
• Only needs to be a single shot (discrete aspect). For any subsequent jerks? They'll just be lucky that day.[/*:m:8kjk3gvf]
• Easily aimed and fired in heavy traffic. Hands have to remain on grips (but see 'discrete' above).[/*:m:8kjk3gvf]
• Non-permanent paint--but requires effort to remove.[/*:m:8kjk3gvf]
• Must communicate. How would the driver know WHY the car got splattered? Is there some technology that can leave a durable, readable, "I drive like a jerk?"[/*:m:8kjk3gvf]
• Does not splatter. No point involving other innocent cars--or myself. [/*:m:8kjk3gvf]

If anyone has ideas, pls contribute to this purely hypothetical discussion.

OK I'll bite, this sounds like fun although expensive.

Some sort of HUD (Head Up Display). It doesn't have to be as sophisticated as the military aircraft. More like the small one in Corvettes. It could be used to track and aim a small gas powered paint gun under the headlight. The HUD could project on the windshield or the helment face shield.

Or even better, a Cobra Hellicopter style gunsight that flips down over your eye and is slaved to the paintball gun that will point the gun wherever you look.

The fire button is on the handlebar.

Now we just need a Govt. grant to develop this.

[markclark57]

Still missing the "Road Rage" aspect. Non-lethal discharge in traffic is often cause for escalation of rage. When I was 23 my brother gave me a S&W .44 "bulldog". I never fired it off range, but I did trade it for a .357 mag loaded with FMJ rounds. Only used that one once (engine block on a pick-up that pulled safely to the shoulder almost immediately). Somehow I still made it to 53 and do not own a "carry along". I have had a couple of successes with the Stobel on my windshield. . . Much more socially acceptable too. ;-)

[Loafer]

I was a victim of a 12 year old who had gotten into his fathers paintgun supplies. Hiding behind bushes in front of his house, as I drove by he fired and hit the side window in my work truck. Scared me with the sound and sudden loss of sight out that window. Doing something like this could potentially cause an accident. Are you prepared for the aftermath?

[scott2007nomad]

I've often dreamed about a small caliber gun mounted in the grill of my truck, with laser sites, joystick controlled and silencer attached.
Just enough to take out a tire.

Way to smart to do it though.

I have heard rumors some guys carry pea gravel in their windshield bags to discourage cages following too close.

[AlabamaNomadRider]

There could be severe problems if anyone ever carried this out. A man that I know here locally was driving back to Boaz, AL from Birmingham, AL and got behind a woman in the left or fast lane on interstate 59. When he finally got a chance to pass her on her right side he swerved over at her. This was his road rage coming out. It scared her and she swerved to her left to avoid him hitting her. She went through a large grass covered median and hit a south bound vehicle head on. It killed the woman and a man in the other vehicle. The local man that caused it got prison time although not a lot. He is out now. Only did two or three years. Sometimes things like this happen although you only meant to scare someone. Then it becomes scaring someone to death.

[bobhamlin]

Just for the record:

My imagined solution is stealthy. The purpose of the embedded "I drive like a jerk" message is to let the miscreant driver find out later--not while behind the wheel.

Road rage is real. A couple years ago, two vehicles on I-270 escalated an incident. One car ended up off the road, killing the driver and a passenger. The other car was never found, even though several witnesses said it was a green pick-up.

[Loafer]

I've definately had moments where I wanted to do something, But driving a vehicle with billboard advertising on both sides, would have cost me my job when I was employed by someone else, and could have cost me sales when I was self-employed. Vermont is a small state with just over 650k residents, bad news travels fast. But there were a few times I was tempted. When on my Nomad I believe in the International Sign Language.

[socwkbiker]

I once had the occasion to speak with a police officer about just this type of thing, a mounted paintball gun to signify that a cage driver is an idiot. And believe me, there are a ton of them out there. In Dallas, I have nearly been killed multiple times by cagers, one who dismissed me with a wave of his hand even though he pulled into my lane on my front tire. Anyway, I digress.

The officer said that there are air tanks that could be mounted into the saddlebags. He had seen them for airhorns and figured they could be used for a paintball gun. He did caution that there are people out there with real guns who might take offense....so I haven't put this into action.

But, saddlebag mounted air compressors, the lines running up the sides of the bike with the exit holes for the paintballs being the handlebar caps. Use a button like the horn or blinker to fire the paintballs.