Storm chasers fight accusations of bad behavior as “chasertainment" comes of age

[Mike Tobin]

The Amateurs I am talking about are the ones who do not take the time understand what they are getting into. Where as i see your point with the official capacity. I have yet to see chasers with sirens with flashing lights yes. I feel that the flashing lights are important especially if your parked on the side of the road prevents injury or someone striking you because of HP etc. and as for the tour group I didnt catch the company name i only saw the Storm chase tour. I was more worried about my wife.

 

[rdale]

flashing lights are important especially if your parked on the side of the road prevents injury or someone striking you because of HP etc.

Actually no - the best way to avoid being hit is to be far enough away from the road to not be hit. Lights won't stop stupid. Just find a safer place to be.

 

[Mike Tobin]

Actually no - the best way to avoid being hit is to be far enough away from the road to not be hit. Lights won't stop stupid. Just find a safer place to be.

Even still Lights do help but with that being said I use what i Learned running convoys in the Army for my safety. Thats where i learned the best things to take with you. But no matter what there will always be stupid people on the road.

 

[Skip Talbot]

Even still Lights do help

Or they can blind drivers, or draw them into your parked vehicle like moths to a flame. If you simply park well off the road, then you don't need them at all for storm chasing.

 

[Rob H]

flashing lights are important

Put your hazard lights on. You're not performing any sort of special civil service, people do not need to know you're a storm chaser, and they're not important at all. If you're parked somewhere that you could be hit, you need to pick a new spot. The shoulder isn't carte blanche because you're Skywarn chaser #23,459 with a report of a non-rotating wedge-shaped funnel cloud.

Chiming in and echoing others because this is a silly sentiment to have in chasing, and should be nipped in the bud.

 

[Todd Lemery]

Quite honestly, if someone throws an amber light on top of their vehicle while storm chasing, it's a good thing. Someone going out looking like a scene from ghostbusters is really uncalled for, but an amber light has the greatest visibility distance and coming up on that in a heavy downpour is a whole lot easier to see. In a heavy downpour I can appreciate being able to see oncoming traffic as much as possible. As far as the idiots with the ghostbuster light bars trying to block traffic, I hope they get a ticket for impeding traffic and I hope I don't accidentally pluck one off as I'm going by.

 

[Robert Edmonds]

Yea... reminds me a vehicle I saw with a bad tail light but new light bar. I wonder what you should buy first, if it's all about safety. (I guess this should retitled the 2014 light bar thread)

 

[Skip Talbot]

(I guess this should retitled the 2014 light bar thread)

Maybe we do need an annual lightbar thread. Yeah, it's been done a thousand times already, but it seems that there are many in every new batch of chasers that have convinced themselves that lightbars have some sort of necessary function that makes them a requirement for chasing, or at least that there is some good justification for putting a distracting, attention getting device on the top of your vehicle. Perhaps we need constant reminders for the new comers, like we do points on chase safety, etiquette, and reporting guidelines.

Having a flashing amber light on top of your vehicle means that you pose a hazard to other vehicles on the roadway. Since we're all just amateur hobbyists, there's no reason you should be posing a hazard to others on the roadway, and thus no real reason why you should have flashing lights when you're chasing. "But Skip, without them nobody can see me in the blinding hail/precip core, or somebody might hit me while I'm stopped on the shoulder." Why are you driving in zero visibility and parking on the shoulder? If safety was really your priority as you use to justify these lights, you'd think the first step would be avoiding these situations.

 

[mikedeason]

It seems to me (going back about 10-15 years), the annual lightbar debate season began shortly after the new year. However, much like the Christmas season, it seems to come earlier with each passing year.

Maybe there should be a permanent section for it under the Miscellaneous catagory.

 

[Dan Robinson]

My annual lightbar post: The only defensible supplemental hazard lighting is *modest* rear-facing ambers used only in the most rare of circumstances (you're the first on a tree down across a road, semi blows over in front of you and blocks the road, etc).

Front-facing or side facing lights, lights of any other color than amber, excessive lights and chasing with them running full-time is an invitation for widespread mockery and contempt by the storm chasing community, and maybe even a traffic ticket depending on the state you live/chase in.

That said, don't *completely* knock them. The first VORTEX armada had them (albeit *very tiny* gumball ambers), and the phenomenon likely was catapulted to iconic cult status thanks to their widespread features in tornado chase-related programming in the 80s and 90s.

My opinion? If you're going to have these, do something inconspicuous like taillight strobes or rear-window flashers.

 

[John Olexa]

In my state, the school busses all have a single strobe light in the center of the roof that is on until sunrise while the bus is running. It is blinding and complety annoying, with no proof it makes anything safer.

 

[Shane Adams]

Having a flashing amber light on top of your vehicle means that you pose a hazard to other vehicles on the roadway. Since we're all just amateur hobbyists, there's no reason you should be posing a hazard to others on the roadway, and thus no real reason why you should have flashing lights when you're chasing.

Really? What makes having an amber light hazardous? What possible danger does merely mounting a Kojak amber light on the roof of one's vehicle create? Much like you dismiss the "they're so people will notice me" argument for having them, I dismiss your reasoning above. There's no need to justify your dislike of amber lights by trying to incorrectly labeling them "hazardous" because that's simply not true.

Now, I agree they're not needed, but my reasoning is because IMO they're just overkill, and slightly embarrassing in some situations/applications. But there's nothing dangerous about them, anymore than standard hazard lights. I believe I've seen the "hazard lights are enough indication of a stopped vehicle" which means that ambers aren't needed. So why are hazard lights okay but ambers aren't? They both flash and draw attention.

Anyway, I'm definitely in the "not necessary" crowd, but my reasons are obviously different.

 

[Skip Talbot]

Really? What makes having an amber light hazardous?

I was referring to the vehicle or driver as the hazard, not the flashing light. For example a truck with an oversized load or a tow truck working on the shoulder. These vehicles are hazards to other drivers. Storm chasers shouldn't be.

And yeah, it's also true that the lights can be a hazard themselves, such as when they distract other drivers or the glare becomes blinding.

 

[Shane Adams]

Wow, it's amazing how something can read totally different when you look at it again. Even just now when I first saw your reply, I wasn't getting how you worded that sentence. Now it's obvious to me. This is one of those things where, if you'd been in the room and said it how you meant it, I would've been like "yep." I just totally misread your sentence. It's weird how written words can be conveyed the wrong way when emotion is taken out of the equation. But yeah, anyway, we pretty much agree.

 

[Jason_Dasho]

Reading these post as a emergency vehicle instructor brings to mind the wave/moth effect. Which is a contributer to why people hit the rear end of police cars and fire trucks that have their lights flashing. People have a tendency to go to the light when they are in a hypnotic state while driving. Similar to a moth flying staight to your porch light... The only true safety is getting far off the road ..... This year alone I missed several photo shots because no safe place to pull off the road, but its a small price to pay for my safety, other chasers safety, and the public's safety.

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