eye protection in open top cars

[garysenter]

anyone use the sunglasses with headstrap when driving their open top car? dont fancy always having to wear my bike helmet....wanna feel the wind in my hair while i still got some !!!!

gary

[Vindi_andy]

I use the Dixons TEPS which are glasses but also have the strap. Excellent glasses and ballistic lenses.

[Colin 1985]

I usually just use either sun glasses or a crash helmet. The last post made me think about ballistic protection though, think I make have to get a pair of the glasses mentioned.

Also I think it may be a good idea, when using just glasses (ie no crash helmet) to use ear plugs.

ETA: With no helmet though the induction noise is nearly worth losing your hearing for.

Edited by Colin 1985 on Thursday 20th May 22:10

[MoleVision]

I use something like these... never worried about losing them whilst driving - only issue is above about 80mph things get a bit blurry what with wind buffeting causing them to vibrate a bit. But then again my car has no side-screens.



Bolle safety sunglasses... apparently not expensive either.

[slomax]

In the lomax I ussually go for the open face classic helmet and red barron goggles. On very short runs just a pair of wrap around sunglasses. Sometimes i wear my cycling glasses as they have interchangeable clear and dark lenses which is handy. But i mostly go for the helmet option as with only tiny brooklands screens, absolutely everything that can hit you, does.

[Huff]

+1 for Bolle and the like, under a tenner from B&Q or Jewsons or any where that sells PPE for building site use.

I'm using some shaped, clear polycarbonate glasses not dissimilar and they are perfect, close-fitting enough to keep wind out of eyes above 80, too. Cheap and effective protection - above 60 even midges sting!

[Stubby Pete]

Oakleys are tested by 100mph ball bearing impact, safety googles like Bolle are good too.

Just bear in mond if you have no screen, a stone chip at 70mph will put a nice cut in your skin and dent in your skull!!!
It also fing hurts

[Westy Pre-Lit]

I use these.

http://www.bodyspecs.com/detail.cfm?pageid=239

They have a removable gasket around the eyes that stops any wind buffeting and can either be worn as a goggle or pair of glasses. You can also buy them from ebay for a UK seller although atm I can't find him.

Very happy with them.

Edited by Westy Pre-Lit on Friday 21st May 07:07

[Trap]

ESS CDI glasses for me.

http://www.esseyepro.com/CDI_14_detail.html

[Sam_68]

It depends how risk-averse you are (and if you are, then perhaps you should be thinking seriously about whether you want to drive a 'Seven' type car, anyway), but I've been driving screenless 'Sevens' on the road for 20-odd years now with nothing worse than the odd stone chipping or bumble bee (yes, they smart, but I've never actually had one draw blood - though that is partly down to luck, and partly down to not sitting a few feet off the back of lorries), wearing just glasses or goggles

I am, however, now deaf as a post and took too late to wearing a crash helmet on longer trips to reduce the noise. You may wish to consider ear plugs if you don't want to wear a helmet.

[fw500]

I don't really buy into the risk adverse arguement here. You can be perfectly comfortable with a seven type car without wanting to chance losing your eyesight. I don't suppose F1 drivers are particularly risk adverse but I doubt they'd be comfortable driving around without a helmet or fireproofs etc.

You just need to have a look at the front of most tintops to realise how much crap is being thrown at the front of your car. Personally, my rule is that if I'm planning on properly blatting it - I wear a helmet, if I'm just pootling about I'll wear sunglasses.

[Vindi_andy]

Just to add the Dixons come with 3 sets of interchangable lenses (dark tint, yellow and either clear or anti glare) they also have the gasket that prevent fogging and interchangeable arms and strap.

I have a full screen and find the glasses with the arms to be sufficient.

[Sam_68]

fw500 said:

You can be perfectly comfortable with a seven type car without wanting to chance losing your eyesight.

For sure; but if you don't want to take the chance (risk) of losing your eyesight you are, by definition, averse to that particular risk.

It may, of course, be that you are unusually conscious of that particular risk (ie. to the exclusion of other risks such as negligible side impact protection low visibility to other road users, dismal secondary safety due to lack of features like air bags, ABS, DSC, properly designed crumple zones, hearing damage due to wind roar, skin cancer due to sunburn, etc., etc.), in which case you'll definitely want to wear goggles or a helmet. But my experience suggests that the risk of eye damage is not disproportionately greater than the other elements of risk from driving these sort of cars.

Obviously I'm just one person, but my own experience is that it would be at least equally relevant to worry about your hearing as your eyesight (I've never heard of anyone who has had an eye injury in a Seven, but I have several friends, as well as myself, whose hearing is impaired as a result of a long relationship with open-top cars).

... but then I'm perfectly comfortable with a Seven type car, period, so the minor risk of eye injury doesn't worry me any more than the equally minor risk (statistically) of dying in a crash, or the more likely (but less serious) risk of permanent hearing damage.

Everyone has to make their own judgement, ultimately,though?

[Furyblade_Lee]

I use toughend workwear eye-protecting glasses, wrap around the eye and totally clear lenses. Designed to take an impact. But on the motorway i always wear a helmet, i have stopped several times with blood pouring from my face from a bit of gravel ect. , once a stone hit me between the eyes and by the time i realised on the exit ramp i had a blood trail down to the tip of my nose. Serious stuff if it got you in the eye.

[runt]

I also have the excellent goggles from Dixons, driving a Dax Cobra with full screen, I know that one eye injury would be a disaster, as to a helmet, that hasn't occurred to me but with no side windows I do feel a tad exposed, be safe guys.

Paul/runt

[Tempest_5]

Always used Sunglasses in my Westfield, it's got a fully windscreen & sidescreens. I've used normal & wraparound glasses - both do the job + Flying goggles for nighttime without the screens.

Ears are the problem though. I've had a Westfield for 18 years & used it as my only car for a year - did over 20,000 miles that year. Unfortunately I didn't use ear plugs & got an ear infection from all the cr*p coming around the sidescreen straight down the hole. This prevented my middle ear draining, similar to childrens "Glue Ear". This was not really noticeable til I went on an airliner & the pressure in the cabin dropped but not in my ear. That was in 1993 & it's unpleasant everytime I've had a cold since, so at least use ear plugs even if it means the engine doesn't sound as good. Oddly enough my hearing is actually alright.

[garysenter]

wow...lots of replies.....and goo dreading. picked up my mk today. drove her back from wakefield and stopped twice to stretch my bad leg ......ha ha...bloody thing went to sleep doing the same speed all the way back. wore my helmet home....took the mrs out and then her son.....wore just my sunglasses....everything was ok up to about 80....then the whole world vibrates......now i got her home i noticed a few cosmetic jobs i need to attend to....but will start a new thread for that

gary

[Stubby Pete]

You picked a great weekend to pick it up!!!
Happy driving.

[sherman]

Oakleys

[greengreenwood7]

my own simple rule for my aeroscreened '7'.
saftey glasses at any speed, the amount of stones chcuked up down the lanes from my own tyres warrants that. all have gaskets so no problem with lifting at speed. favourites are the Dixons as mentioned ( deals normally available to club members from (ukeyewear).
Helmet on motorways and if in convoy with cars that have 'stickies' sit further back than normal.

in response to a post above, i know a guy with a caterham that has a screen that copped a stone over the screen and into his eye - shattering his contact lens. luckily no lasting damage, a few days with sore eye and trip to casualty to get the remnants of the lens removed.....