After I mentioned that I had driven from NYC to Florida and back recently, I was asked whether it was safe. I answered that my car was very "competent" and extremely comfortable. I asked why the person (a member of my family) thought that my car would be unsafe. She said that she was worried that large cars (like her SUV) and trucks would not see a car as small as mine.

I have had a bad experience in my previous car, a Cayman S, with a truck at a very dangerous merge on I95 just after the George Washington Bridge. I have always blamed the road design which forces trucks to cut across three lanes of traffic to turn off onto the Thruway while cars merging into the Interstate have to move to the left (the opposite direction) to get past the same exit but, thinking about her question, I wonder if she had a point.

As I think back, I can also recall an incident when I was driving across country when I was in the passing lane of an Interstate when a truck in the center lane cut me off as though he had no idea that I was there. In that case, I was saved by excellent brakes and a bit of margin to the left but as I think about it now, I wonder if he possibly didn't see me -- rather than just being dumb, inattentive or exhausted. And even if he was one of those, was the fact that my car was low, small and dark (black) a factor in the incident?

So are our cars at risk because they are small and low -- especially those that are neutral colors?

 

I'm sure there are drivers out there who could miss a Lincoln Continental driving down the road engulfed in fire, much less a low/fast Porsche at speed. You have to drive with your head on a swivel and assume that you are indeed invisible; and take steps to make sure that those around you know you're there. With big trucks, if you cannot see the truck's side mirrors, in all likelihood the driver can't see you. Avoid lingering in blind spots. Lights on, even in daylight. Adjust your side mirrors to observe the adjacent lanes, not what is behind you. Use your inside mirror for that. Hopefully, I'm preaching to the choir here.

It may actually be more dangerous in downtown situations, with narrower streets, stop and go traffic, pedestrians jaywalking, double-parked delivery trucks, etc, etc.

I suspect that a "brighter" color (red/yellow/some blues) would be more noticeable compared to a black/white/silver/gray car. Still, you're depending on the other driver to be paying attention in the first place.

 

Hard to tell.

I have had several near misses in a bright red 3/4 ton 4x4 Dodge diesel...

In fact, a camaro ran into me in a parking lot because she didn't see me...

But as said, drive small cars with the vigilance of a motorcyclist!

-J

 

Don't drive in people's blind spots and keep your lights on.. All is well.

 

agreed. you have all that engine to pass anyone. don't pace someone if you can avoid

 

The problem is that so many people aren't active participants on the roads. Cars are so safe and easy to drive now that most people get by most of the time with little effort. When they do crash, insurance settles it and in many cases as a "No Fault" claim. People glance up from their phones, radio, conversations... give a quick glance, and go. I always assume the worst is coming and drive extremely defensively.

 

Agree and disagree .

You are right that a large enough crop of the average drivers appear less involved (and lack skills). You are even right in adding some reference to insurance but that makes the assumption that every driver on the road even has insurance .. or even a valid license .

It doesn't account for those drivers who have a 300 dollar car (with a salvage title/safety concern ). no insurance , a heap of tickets , a suspended (or revoked) .. or no license (they just feel entitled) .
Add to the mix that they might be unemployed with lots of free time to drive . They might even gain the sympathy of a judge because they "were out job searching to feed the family" . Besides if a judge placed every driver with a suspended /revoked /or no license or insurance in jail .. they would have to build a lot more space.

In fact .. it begs the question .. how these drivers even got a license ? Or how they have so many tickets and still retain it?

And it's not the majority of Porsche (or high end car) drivers . Of course there are exeptions but for the most part ... folks with a nice car
have insurance . They have a valid license . They even have concerns about assets (liability) . safety ,and for the most part insist upon taking time to learn to drive properly and enhance the skill on the appropriate roads .. the track .

Once upon a time a drivers test used to be hard to pass . Almost makes one wonder why so many have one now yet can't drive .
Maybe they would drive anyway .. even without one. Better that they have it .. at least some record keeping can take place.

So .. does anyone have doubts at the title of this thread ? Of course a responsible driver might feel "invisible" but there's a lot of cars on the roads and not all those drivers are as responsible as they ought to be.

And yes .. IMO .. It's a shame.

 

When traffic is such that I can't avoid the trucks I give them as wide a berth as possible. Ultimately, I want the trucks in my rear view mirror but I'll drive well behind those I can't safely pass. The laws of physics suggest that should my car come in contact with a semi I'm not likely to survive the encounter. Makes sense to me to avoid being anywhere near one on the road.

 

Completely agree. My brother was once involved in a 5 cars accident on freeway. 4 cars rear ended into each other and then slam into his rear end. Guess what, out of these 4 drivers, none of them have a valid insurance.

Also, a lot of drivers really can miss anything regardless of speed or traffic condition. I walked my son to school every morning and I can't even recall how many times a parent driver would fail to yield to pedestrain at a stop light. In fact we almost got hit by a mom who ran a red light and mind you that it was a really bad traffic morning and most cars were doing no more than 2-3 mph.

I also read before that Porsche actually cost lower to insure (relatively; think Mustang or Camaro) especially for liability since most Porsche drivers are stable driver who actually "seldom" drive above the speed limit.

I think knowing that you are invisible to all drivers no matter what are you driving or walking is really the key. Defensive driving!!!

 

i think whatever safety i lose in size is nearly balanced by the loud exhaust. i'm not invisible to anyone with the flat six doing its aretha franklin impression at 4500rpm

 

As said, be wary of being in someone's blind spot - especially on the right as many people do not seem to know how to use / adjust the side rear view mirrors.

I almost got run over by a soccer mom SUV one day - even with me blowing the horn and nearly having to run up on the curb, she seemed to be obliviously to the entire event.

 

I don't think our cars are that small. Small is the brains of many other drivers.

Most Porsches, like the OP's and my own, are black, silver, or shades of grey. They're harder to see than Guards Red or Speed Yellow, or even Carrera White. That's partly why I chose that color but it probably doesn't help me be seen by other drivers...

 

I sent an email to the family member whose comments to me prompted this thread including links to the treads that she had inspired. I want to share her reply:

 

Defensive driving makes sense regardless of how large a car you drive.

That said, I think other cars tend to cut in front of me a lot more when my headlights are off than when they're on.

My best guess is that it's harder for them to judge the distance from a neutral colored car than a brightly colored one -- and that the slightly smaller size can be mistaken for a car that is further away.