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Wouldn't it be constructive for the Government (if they really wanted to reduce our dependency on oil and help protect our environment) to put together an approved Safe Drafting policy on our Interstate Highways? This would encourage the practice and educate the public of the great amount of fuel that could be saved on our roadways. A lane dedicated for drafting at say a speed of 55-65mph, depending on highway speed limits, could be given a set of strict rules. Even walls or shields to reduce cross winds and redirect tail winds could help with all the wasted energy on our roadways.

Safety could be addressed with classes and certification for both passenger cars, trucks and semi trucks drivers. An approved vehicle inspection and sticker could assure a safety level for all those driving in the drafting lane. Perhaps a reasonable toll could off set construction and maintenance.

It just seems we should take advantage of some of the techniques and knowledge we know and use here, to work on a larger scale.

GaryG

Hi Gary:

___I applaud the idea but herein lyes the rub … If your lively hood depends on no tickets or accidents, would you want a professional or non-professional drafter running in a close in through a congested area? I know many companies that will not even hire an OTR’er with a single ticket or accident in the past 12 months. I attempt to find a low accident probability close in when they appear using time of day, type of traffic patterns from previous routines, and slower speeds when and where available. No matter how good I think I can avoid or have planned to avoid an issue of any type, I am still taking a risk. No matter how much training we have, unless our vehicles were tied to the draft target via instant electronic communication overriding our own good sense (meaning brakes), there will be a lot of problems imho.

___I hope someday you have the opportunity to come and visit so we can do some Chicago style hypermiling in your Escape HEV or my Accord. There are glorious opportunities to take advantage of at times depending on traffic as well as absolute nightmares that I would not wish on a NY or LA commuter for anything. As “Forest Gump” said, “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get …” when it comes to driving the Chicago interstates on a daily basis …

___Good Luck

___Wayne

No question that a drafting lane would have problems, but I still feel the knowledge we have gained on the benefits could be explored. Perhaps putting in place a wall system to separate the opposite flow of traffic to create two separate wind movements. Maybe some of our countries top wind engineers could study the idea and develop a system where you would not need to travel at unsafe distances. It just seems that all the money we spend on concrete barriers could be designed in a more efficient and safe manner.

Maybe I’ll send a letter to the new President of MIT who has dedicated herself and MIT to develop energy savings and environmental protection technology.

GaryG

The V formation World War II bombers and geese do come to mind.

I sympathize with the idea, but sadly there are just too many unexpected situations and crazy drivers on the roads. :(

A proposal with similar pros and cons is allowing big rigs to tow three trailers....

GaryG,

I was on I30 around Greenville, Texas a couple of years ago, between three 18-wheelers. One was directly in front of me, another beside of it in the passing lane, the third one beside me. It was raining and they kept my car dry. :)

I think the idea is absolutely great. My only concerns include motorists driving in a manner that is advantageous and beneficial to the road, and funding construction of the road itself. The infrastructure costs would be a bit high, as the walls and design of the road would be out of the norm.

Then again, we've got to start thinking that way if we want beat the oil crisis.

I agree with xcel. In a perfect world, it's a terrific idea. In reality, we need electronic intervention. Even so, when a truck throws a tread, it may still be airborne when a following vehicle hits it. Likewise, what a vehicle with large ground clearance might not even slow down for may disable lower clearance vehicles behind it. It is for that reason that I simply don't draft. You just can't see enough to anticipate and react as necessary to avoid a hazard.

The V formation World War II bombers and geese do come to mind.

I sympathize with the idea, but sadly there are just too many unexpected situations and crazy drivers on the roads. :(

A proposal with similar pros and cons is allowing big rigs to tow three trailers....

ARGH! Tow 3 trailers? When most of 'em can't(won't?) tow 1 trailer safely??? Tailgaters all! I hate truckers! Push, push, push! :mad: -whitevette