Puling over due to a blown tyre is a nasty experience, in the dark even more so. It is made worse when you jack your car up and someone drives straight into it because it has been decided that the best colour for this piece of emergency equipment is black.
So... paint the jack and the spare wheel the brightest most reflective colour available so people can see it, and while you are at it you can paint the wheel nuts too so you can find them.-- bs0u0155, Dec 02 2006 Customize http://www.google.c...spray+paint&spell=1 [2 fries shy of a happy meal, Dec 02 2006] You know, putting on your hazard lights and carrying a spare torch in the glove box for such emergencies is a wise thing to do and probably sufficient.
I like the idea of a reflectively colored jack, however, as it is rarely seen except in the emergency circumstances you describe. I'm less keen on anything that brings additional attention to the spare wheel or the lug nuts.-- jurist, Dec 02 2006 I don't understand //It is made worse when you jack your car up and someone drives straight into it because it has been decided that the best colour for this piece of emergency equipment is black.// The color of the jack won't help someone see your car any better, though it isn't a totally bad idea. One would be able to find it quicker in the trunk.-- xandram, Dec 02 2006 I'm all for any idea that adds even a little bit of safety to motoring or the practice/travails thereof.-- shapu, Dec 02 2006 Safety Triangle, anyone?-- gnomethang, Dec 03 2006 I don't think its baked just because your jack is fire engine red 21 Quest. He wants it to be a fluorescent colour which is different to red. I imagine fluorescent would light up brighter than red.-- Heavy_Phat, Dec 03 2006 Already exists - BUY YOURSELF a fluorescent tabbard to carry for such an occassion! I've got one and in changing my offside tyre on a motorway, all vehicles went into lane 2 as no to come past close - BE SEEN NOT HURT! The other solution is to buy a car with run-flat tyres on, then you carry no spare and no need to change a tyre when punctured. They work like a space-saver i.e. get you home / to a garage. My latest car has them, although I've yet to test them out properly! Guess its the way the world will be going though, as if you've got alloys you don't like to use the spare as it only a steeler. Thus when the car is scrapped this hardly used tyre is still unuseable!-- Findus, Feb 23 2007 I've got a warning triangle and a flourescent waistcoat thing. They're necessary for travelling in europe. However I'm also clumsy and tripped over a jack once while a friend was swapping a wheel, Ironically while walking back from putting out the warning triangle.-- bs0u0155, Feb 16 2010 [+] works for me even if just to be able to find the stuff in the dark... not the spare though: I have to drive around a bit until I get a new tire.-- FlyingToaster, Feb 16 2010 I think that voting negative on this idea means that you think that painting emergency equipment the least visible colour (black) is better than painting it a bright fluorescent colour. Considering that all it requires is a paint swap in the factory.-- bs0u0155, Mar 18 2011 random, halfbakery