GettinOutdoors

Roadside Survival: Cones, Triangles, and Flares, Building Your Safe Buffer

🎯 Objective
  It’s dusk, traffic is flying by at 70 mph, and you’re on the shoulder with nothing but your hazard lights. One wrong glance at a phone, one second of inattention, and a driver is in your space. Cones, triangles, and flares aren’t just gear, they’re your shield. This talk shows how to use them to turn a deadly roadside into a survivable work zone.

⚠️ Key Hazards

• Distracted or impaired drivers swerving into the shoulder.

• Limited sight distance from fog, curves, or blind hills.

• Tiny cones or sloppy spacing that create false confidence.

• Flares sparking fires near spilled diesel, grass, or brush.

• Secondary crashes when motorists don’t see your warning zone until too late.

🛠️ Best Practices for Survival Set-Up

1. Read the Scene: Step one is survival awareness, check traffic speed, road width, and blind spots before opening the door.

2. Vehicle as a Shield: Park with flashers on, steer wheels away from traffic, and angle your truck if it can protect you.

3. Deploy Cones & Triangles Like a Pro:

• Place the first at 10 feet, then at 100 feet and 200 feet behind your vehicle (per FMCSA 49 CFR §392.22).

• On curves, hills, or low-visibility areas, stretch them out to 500 feet. Think of it as buying time, every 100 feet is another second for a driver to react.

• Use 28-inch cones with reflective collars, anything smaller disappears in headlights.

• Triangles fold flat and fit in any roadside kit, keep them in your rig, camper, or service truck.

1. Flares with Caution: Only strike when safe. Never near spilled fuel, dry grass, or brush. When safe, space them like triangles for nighttime punch.

2. Layer Your Visibility: Hazards on, roof beacon if equipped, reflective vest on your back, cones/triangles on the ground. The more layers, the better.

3. Constant Watch: Wind and traffic can knock cones out of place, reposition as needed. Your buffer zone is only as strong as its last check.

🛑 A Roadside Tragedy
  Texas, 2021. A service tech pulled onto I-35’s shoulder for a tire change. Hazards on, tools out but no triangles, no cones. A driver, glancing down at their phone, drifted right. The impact was fatal. Investigators found that three simple warning devices could have added 10+ seconds of reaction time. Ten seconds is the difference between life and death. Don’t gamble on luck build the buffer.

✅ Call to Action
  Open your roadside kit today. Do you have three reflective triangles, 28-inch cones, and safe-to-use flares? If not, replace them before your next trip. Your buffer should always be ready before the breakdown.

📋 Quick Survival Recap

• Three warning devices, minimum.

• Placement: 10 ft, 100 ft, 200 ft, extend to 500 ft on hills/curves.

• Cones = 28 inches with reflective collars.

• Flares only when fire risk is zero.

• Combine cones, flashers, beacons, and high-viz gear for layers of safety.

Takeaway (Safety Slogan):
 “Cones save bones, build the buffer before you wrench.”

📘 Survival Quiz

1. What’s the minimum size cone for roadside safety?
     A) 12 in
     B) 18 in
     C) 28 in
     D) 36 in

2. How many devices (cones/triangles) should you always set?
     A) 2
     B) 3
     C) 4
     D) 5

3. On a hill or blind curve, how far back should the farthest device go?
     A) 200 ft
     B) 300 ft
     C) 400 ft
     D) Up to 500 ft

4. When should you avoid using flares?
     A) At night
     B) Near spilled fuel or dry grass
     C) On level ground
     D) During rain

5. What regulation sets roadside warning device rules?
     A) OSHA 1910.147
     B) FMCSA 49 CFR §392.22
     C) DOT Part 40
     D) MUTCD Section 4E

Answer Key: 1-C, 2-B, 3-D, 4-B, 5-B

📑 Compliance + Reality Check

• FMCSA 49 CFR §392.22: Warning devices must be placed within 10 minutes of stopping.

• MUTCD specifies cone/triangle size and reflective standards.

• OSHA highlights struck-by hazard prevention for roadside workers.

• AAA Foundation (2022): ~350 people are killed every year outside a disabled vehicle. That’s nearly one every day.