I read a Sept 5 post reply by Pewter99: "...some people don't know how to caravan properly." So being a novice at this, I have to ask what if any, are the proper rules to doing a caravan/cruise (outside of common sense driving rules of the road)?

 

There really are no rules per say, but I do have my own rules I try to follow.

If I am new to the group or it is the first time out I lag to the back and try and watch who can drive and handle their car and who can't. I also take into account what kind of road we are on and if it is familiar to me or not

I also watch not only the car directly in front of me but two or three cars ahead of me as well.

I have rules for passengers as well, don't distract me. Lol

 

Good points, to be sure. Thanks for your reply.

 

Don't be picking your nose when you're going into a blind curve...

 

Do NOT be the one who does this :
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-g...ear-ended.html

Be smooth in your actions, acceleration, braking and turning and keep an appropriate amount of space in front of you so the car in front of you does not get uncomfortable.

Unfortunately you should not enjoy the view unless you charge your passenger with ensuring you don't get too close.

 

Our Brit car clubs do runs throughout the summer. A general rule has been adopted that we send out teams of 4 cars max. ,stagering the start times. We also encourage people to team up with others of similar driving style. I usually go with the fast group.

We found too many close calls with large numbers of cars following together. An accordion effect happens and it is very easy to get contact when someone isn't paying really good attention. Gets to be very stressful and what fun is that?

The other problem with long lines of cars is the other traffic gets impatient to get around and irritated at being delayed at intersections.

I have a Harley and have been on some of the benifit runs. Sad to say that more than once, I have been very uncomfortable on these. And not because of cars either but the other bikers. You really need to know the person riding that close and what their habits/abilities are. Pretty bad when you are more scared of another biker than someone in a 4000 lb car!

 

Watch about 2 or 3 cars ahead of you and pay attention.

 

This question brought up a memory I care not to repeat during a cruise.

I am revealing this with reluctance.

First look at this pic and see what might be wrong. Then I'll tell you what happened.



So....this is a highway I am very familiar with since being a very young man. It has always been two lanes East and two lanes West forever.

In my enthusiasm during the cruise I neglected to notice some construction sign saying it is temporarily two lanes ONLY going both directions.

So I have my camera out paying more attention to it than my surroundings in order to capture a cruise picture.

This opposing car and another had to pull to the side to avoid my dumbarse......Lordy.....

So, my advice is don't get so excited and distracted that you don't notice what the h#ll is going on around you!!!

 

The Rubber Band Effect is what you need to watch for. Fast stopping and fast stopping. Always pay CLOSE attention of the vehicles in front of you. The closer you are to the front of the group the slower you will drive and thus the further back you are the faster you will need to drive to keep up.

If you are on a an Interstate with two, three or four lanes of traffic, try to change lanes only we it's clear for the group. Leave the passing lane open, and don't block the truckers. In a three lane highway, I try to stay in the middle lane, leaves the left lane for passing and the right lane for exits.

We used these and other common sense rules on the National Corvette Caravan and no issues along the way.

 

Here are some guidelines that were put out for the 2003 National Corvette Caravan:

Top 10 Rules
10. Drive courteously. Drive defensively.
9. Choose a caravan buddy in case of breakdowns; your buddy will stay with you. Plan on catching up at the next scheduled stop. Do NOT blindly follow the corvette or corvettes in front of you - stay on course, other may be pulling off for fuel, etc
8. Read the Driver’s Book before the event. Pay attention at the Driver’s Meetings
7. Event Captains and Route Leaders are not responsible for your actions, so please don't forget to be courteous on the road.
6. Don’t follow the Corvette ahead of you too closely and be aware of that car’s speed. Caravans have a tendency to "rubber band" rapidly and unexpectedly.
5. Caravanning in a manner that impedes the flow of traffic is illegal. Allow other cars to move through or across the caravan. Expect this near highway entrances, exits and intersections.
4. On four-lane highways, i.e. Interstate Highways, stay in the same lane as the Caravan and use the other to pass only and to let other traffic go by. Remember that truckers are out there on the highway to earn a living - so make sure to leave one lane open at all times. In general the rule is drive right and pass left.
3. If the Caravan’s speed is too slow on the highway, exit the Caravan and proceed ahead
2. The National Corvette Caravan is not a race. We recommend you obey the law. If you drive irresponsibly, you accept the consequences. The National Corvette Caravan does not post bail.
1. Drive defensively. Drive courteously.

Caravaner’s Guide

Condensed from an article by "Capt." Hib Halverson of the Southern California Caravan

Some participants have never been in a caravan this large. If that's you; read this article...twice. If you've been in a big caravan before, well...read it at least once because you might find we're gonna do a few things differently.

If you only remember one of thought from this story, please...make it this one: If you use your head before your right foot, you'll most likely end up being a courteous, safe and lawful National Corvette Caravaner. We are all driving high performance cars but with groups as large as our Caravans, we're all probably going to have a better time if we try to not drive too aggressively.

Here's the place where I tell you that the National Corvette Caravan, its Captains and organizing committee not responsible for your actions. If you drive irresponsibly or violate the law in the process of caravanning to Bowling Green, you're going to have to accept the consequences. We do not insure your vehicle and we don't post bail.
The National Corvette Caravan is not a race. There's no prize for getting there first. Well...duh.

Most of the time on the highway, the Caravan Leader will hold his speed to the posted limit. Now, we know from prior experience there will be drivers who want to run much faster and that is your decision. If you exit the main group of Corvettes and run at the speed of your choice, keeping in mind we are not condoning this, law enforcement will be aware of a group of Corvettes as large as we will be. If you choose leave the Caravan at high velocity, remember the "bears" are out there...polishing their Ka-band radar guns and you're an easy target.
There's probably going to be those who like to putt along below the speed limit and watch the scenery. If that's you and you think feel the Caravan speed is too fast, just slow to the speed you like and drop back from the main group. We're all going to the same place each night. If you get there a little later, it won't matter much.

On multi-lane highways, Caravans will "drive right and pass left." The only exceptions will be if the Caravan Leader needs to move to the left lanes to 1) stay on the caravan route at an interchange or intersection or 2) pass a line of slower moving, non-caravan vehicles. I suggest you enter the left lane only to pass slower vehicles and stay, most of the time, in the same lane as the Caravan. Let faster traffic go by. If you are in the left lane and another car pulls up behind you wanting to overtake, momentarily move right allowing it to pass.

The Caravan will be fairly spread-out most of the time, however the Caravan may shorten-up as it moves into more congested areas and we will follow each other a little closer. Please remember, caravanning in a manner that has cars following each other close enough such that non-caravan vehicles to cannot pass through or across the caravan, besides being arrogant and unfriendly, is illegal. In most areas such driving will attract law enforcement. There's another aspect to this. There are a lot of idiots and fools on the road. There's nothing that angers a type-A personality more than a bunch of rich people in their Corvettes, slowing down and/or blocking traffic. Real, aggressive jerks will likely be provoked into doing something dumb like cutting one of our people off or running them off the road. Please, try and avoid situations where the closeness of Caravan vehicles sets-up situations like this. Don't worry about becoming separated from your group; that is why you have your Drivers Manuals and route information.

That said, if you still want to caravan like Dale Jr. and Tony Stewart in the draft at Daytona to keep others from invading your space...the cops are out there, waiting for you. Caravaners must allow other vehicles to pass through or even join the caravan if they wish. You must allow other cars to pass across the caravan as they merge into or out of other lanes. Please be most vigilant of this on the Interstate, near interchanges, entrances and exits.

Let's keep a soft spot in our hearts for the trucking industry. Truckers are out there enhancing our nation's economy through interstate commerce. The vehicles with which they do that weigh 80,000 pounds and are not capable of Corvette-like passing and braking maneuvers. Let's cut the truckers some slack. If you decide to cut them off, instead; be careful...you might find yourself looking up at the front axle of a Peterbilt and the oil pan of a C-15 Cat.

Choose another car as a partner or "buddy." In the unlikely case of a breakdown; your partner should stay with you and, if your buddy breaks; you'll stay with them. Do not expect the Caravan to stop at locations other than scheduled stops. If you fall behind, plan on rejoining the group at the next scheduled stop.

Sometimes the distances between scheduled some stops is long and cars older than 1982 may not be able to run the longest stretches. Caravaners who need fuel, food or bathroom breaks more frequently than allowed for in the route instructions should feel free to stop whenever they wish. Again, you have your route directions in your Drivers Manual so you should have no problem meeting up with your group at a stopover.

Now.... the "rubber banding" problem; caravans of cars running close to each other have a tendency to change lengths when the Caravan Leader or other caravaners make speed changes. This is called "rubber banding". As the caravan speeds up, the distance between cars will increase. As the speed change migrates rearward, the amount of the increase will also increase. The first car speeds-up and the next speeds-up a little more to catch the first. The third car speeds-up even more to catch the second and so on and so-forth. This can end with the rear most cars temporarily increasing speed by 40-50 mph after the leader's speed only goes up five mph.

Needless to say, rubber banding during speed increases can make driving at the back of the caravan at least interesting and sometimes precarious. When the front and midsections notice the speed change, they end-up accelerating briskly. Once they get the speed change accomplished they immediately have to slow down to avoid running into the back of each other once they suddenly learn they've "caught-up".
The reverse of this is also true and potentially more dangerous: the lead car slows, the next car takes a split second to react, then slows more. The third car uses up distance in reacting then slows even more abruptly, and so on and so-forth. In short order, if people are following too closely, you've got drivers way into ABS trying to stop and even people wrecking.

The Caravan Leaders are aware of the rubber band phenomena and will always make speed changes slowly. If the Caravan is running tight, drivers in the middle and rear portions of the caravan must be aware of this rubber band phenomena. Be aware of it and learn to anticipate its affects.

Because "rubber banding" is a part of normal Caravan movement, I advise against attempting to follow another caravan car too closely. A minimum separation of at least 100 feet is suggested for normal Caravan conditions. Most accidents which occur in caravans are rear-end collisions caused by following too closely combined with "rubber-banding".

While, you'd think the cars immediately in front of you would be safe to lead the way, unless you have visual contact with a number of caravan vehicles all going the same way; don't assume drivers immediately in front of you are going the right way. Stay aware of your approximate position and be familiar with the route instructions. Don't let someone who might be lost get you lost, too.

Your Captain will establish types or radio communications and frequencies that will be in use. Check with them in advance so you can be prepared. And let's talk a bit about radio discipline. Some of the fun of Caravanning is to get on the radio and jabber with your friends, however, when you're on the two Caravan frequencies we ask that you observe a few manners.

1) When you go to transmit, before you key the mic, listen a bit. If someone else is talking, wait until they are done, then transmit. This keeps us from "stepping" all over each other. When more than one transmitter keys up and they are all close together, often no message gets out at all.

2) "Smoky reports": in certain cases we all want to know where the cops are hiding, however, if you are in the main group, keep in mind that a few reports of the same law enforcement unit are good but hundreds of people, all on the radio talking about the same cop, ties up the channel and is confusing. Once Smoky Bear is located, it's not necessary that everyone passing the cop make a report.

What about packing for the trip? If you're on this Caravan you've probably been on a Corvette run before and you know, to pack light. If this is the first long trip you've taken living out of your Vette, here's a few tips. First, at some of the hotels along the route, you can get laundry done or do it yourself in coin-operated washers and driers. Plan to do that and you don't have to try and cram two weeks worth of clothes in your car. Pack in layers and in modules. I try to put the stuff I'm not going to need much on the road at the bottom or the back of the cargo area. I also try and pack loose items in plastic crates. That makes the job of hauling your stuff into the hotel each night easier.
We're taking this trip in late June. In many places we go it's going to be hot-darn hot. Bring some sunscreen, dress in light colors and people with sensitive skin might want a hat. Carry some bottled water with you and take a sip once in a while. These suggestions go for everyone but are critical for people driving no-air cars or with the top down.
Do some maintenance on your car before you leave.

Before you leave, make sure your tires are good enough for a trip like that. If your oil change interval will come up on the trip, change the oil and filter before you go. Lube the chassis, service the transmission and axle and change the fuel filter if necessary. Has your car been bouncing a lot lately? Maybe you need new shocks. If you haven't had the front-end aligned in a while, do that, too. If you're driving a pre-'84-car and you haven't adjusted the steering box in a long time or it's never been done, do that. Inspect your belts and hoses and replace as necessary. If your car has air and you've noticed it isn't as cold as it used to be, have the HVAC serviced. All of this stuff is important on a long trip where you're going to live with your car for hours at a time for nearly two weeks. Of critical importance is to make sure your cooling system is functioning properly and all its parts are in good condition.

Many caravaners will carry tools and even some spare parts or a service manual. Sometimes, it's tough to get all that in the back of a Corvette, much less add it to two-weeks worth of personal gear. One way to take a lot of that kind of thing is, if you are traveling with a group of buddies or fellow club members, divide-up the cargo. One car can carry the wrenches and sockets. Another can carry the electrical troubleshooting tools and extra fuses. A third can carry screwdrivers and pliers. You get the idea. Of course, it goes without saying that if you work it that way and you break on the way, it doesn't do much good to need a 9/16th open-end and know its in the back of your buddy's car, 20 miles ahead, so make sure your travel buddies are the ones with the tools.


It may give you some additional ideas besides the ones that have already been posted.

 

In a large group I always go by telephone poles, keep the spacing of one pole per car , it's far enough for others to pass and far enough to stop in a hurry . If you have no poles 2 second rule . Never loose the car in front or in the back .Ron

 

all the above....

in some cases leading is harder than following as you are trying to keep everyone together at a good pace and pay attention to where you are going, making sure you stop for "breaks" and getting everyone through heavy traffic in some areas....

it can be a lot of fun but it can be a lot of work as well

 

One of my personal "rules" is no passing ie: changing your position in the caravan unless absolutely necessary or un-avoidable. A bunch of jockeying for position is a recipe for disaster.

 

Those are some really great ideas. It would be fun to start a new thread on Caravan Stories. I want to go in 2014 and know there is a caravan site for this but pictures and stories from this site would just make it more exciting and to look forward to. Thanks Vetteman for that post

 

I don't really know. I have convoyed so much in the Army I don't think about it much anymore.
Always maintain your distance with the car in front of you. (should be an announced distance by the way)
Keep an eye on the car behind you and ask they maintain their distance and keep an eye on them for breakdowns.

When making turns make sure the car behind you sees you are turning. If you pull off make sure you tell the car behind you to keep going with the convoy.

When you see a car in front of you turn their blinker on to change lanes, change as soon as possible to avoid other cars on the road getting between you and to make sure the lead car can safely change lanes.

Don't play grab *** and be unsafe. There should be some rules as to who is responsible for checking with people for breakdowns. Either buddy up, or the car behind is always responsible to stop and check on you. that's why it's important to tell them to keep going if you are simply veering off for whatever reason.

These are the rules I employ when I go on the Hot Rod Power tour with my buddy RollaMo LT4. I don't really go out on drives with anyone as i'm not a memebr of a club.

that's only if it's this type of convoy though. Some crusies it's just a free for all and every man to themself.

 

It seems there is always someone that puts his emergnecy flashers on while in a caravan.

DO NOT DO THIS, YOUR BRAKE LIGHTS WILL NOT FUNCTION WITH YOUR EF'S ON

 

:skep...
I just did a test and the brake lights on my C5 work with my emergency flashers on. Although I knew it before I went out there, as the brake lights and blinkers are different lights.
That being said, I would not turn them on in a caravan.

 

I just completed my first caravan (75 mi), using the above tips, where needed. All types of paved roads were driven. Everything went smoothly, thanks to you all.