Ok to drive a convertible from Chicago to Delavan (WI)?
Jul 10, 2017, 10:21 am
#16
Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory
Programs: Just Say No to Fleecing and Blacklisting
Posts: 102,095
OK - of all the things to worry about while on a road trip, this has to be one of the lowest on the list.
Yes, there are deer in Wisconsin. It's not common to see them on the roads, and extremely rare to see them on a busy highway. You're most likely to see deer during late November, when hunters are driving them through the woods, which sometimes require them to cross roads.
It's very rare to hit a deer during the day. It usually happens at night when you can't see them near the road. And more likely to happen on heavily wooded roads where they bound out of the woods to cross the street. And again, they're typically only running during hunting season.
If you were driving down a dark country road at night in November, being vigilant for deer crossing the road is good advice. Otherwise, the odds of you even seeing a deer on your route are miniscule.
Yes, there are deer in Wisconsin. It's not common to see them on the roads, and extremely rare to see them on a busy highway. You're most likely to see deer during late November, when hunters are driving them through the woods, which sometimes require them to cross roads.
It's very rare to hit a deer during the day. It usually happens at night when you can't see them near the road. And more likely to happen on heavily wooded roads where they bound out of the woods to cross the street. And again, they're typically only running during hunting season.
If you were driving down a dark country road at night in November, being vigilant for deer crossing the road is good advice. Otherwise, the odds of you even seeing a deer on your route are miniscule.
Deer hits are definitely more of an issue during the dark hours than in the daytime IME, but that's also a factor of drivers facing worse visibility conditions at night.
Jul 10, 2017, 10:16 pm
#17
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2008
Location: San Francisco
Programs: GM on VX, UA, AA, HA, AS, SY; Budget Fastbreak
Posts: 27,605
Thanks everyone
I did the drive today. I had to close convertible in Delavan but on return trip, I just used windshield wipers while keeping car open. I love convertibles! Wisconsin is so lovely, esp lake Geneva.
I did the drive today. I had to close convertible in Delavan but on return trip, I just used windshield wipers while keeping car open. I love convertibles! Wisconsin is so lovely, esp lake Geneva.
Jul 11, 2017, 5:33 am
#18
Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory
Programs: Just Say No to Fleecing and Blacklisting
Posts: 102,095
Edit: My bad, it sounds like it was just a day trip.
Jul 11, 2017, 8:22 am
#20
Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory
Programs: Just Say No to Fleecing and Blacklisting
Posts: 102,095
Some jurisdictions have peculiar driving related laws. For example, in Wisconsin for many years it was fine in much or all of the state to use the windshield wipers without having the lights on during the day; but at some point the law was changed on that. It caught visitors to the state by surprise since it's not commonly the case across the country that using the wipers in the day legally required also having the car headlights on. Since last year the law was clarified and is now tied to visibility distance.
Jul 11, 2017, 9:08 am
#21
Suspended
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Canada, USA, Europe
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 31,452
I really don't want to flog the dead donkey, but I'm not clear why it would occur to someone to ask about the legality of driving a convertible in Wisconsin. It would be like me asking whether it's ok to ride a bicycle while wearing a red tshirt.
Jul 11, 2017, 10:33 am
#22
Join Date: Jun 2014
Programs: UA MM
Posts: 4,125
Safety concerns about driving a convertible with the top down on a highway at high speeds; legal concerns about driving convertibles in Wisconsin. Nothing confusing about it.
Some jurisdictions have peculiar driving related laws. For example, in Wisconsin for many years it was fine in much or all of the state to use the windshield wipers without having the lights on during the day; but at some point the law was changed on that. It caught visitors to the state by surprise since it's not commonly the case across the country that using the wipers in the day legally required also having the car headlights on. Since last year the law was clarified and is now tied to visibility distance.
Some jurisdictions have peculiar driving related laws. For example, in Wisconsin for many years it was fine in much or all of the state to use the windshield wipers without having the lights on during the day; but at some point the law was changed on that. It caught visitors to the state by surprise since it's not commonly the case across the country that using the wipers in the day legally required also having the car headlights on. Since last year the law was clarified and is now tied to visibility distance.
Jul 11, 2017, 11:27 am
#23
Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory
Programs: Just Say No to Fleecing and Blacklisting
Posts: 102,095
Wisconsin had -- it may still have -- some kind of restrictions on the amount of time that convertibles can actually be driven in the state, but I have seen convertibles sold in the state even with those time limits in place.
Jul 11, 2017, 11:45 am
#24
Moderator: Information Desk, Women Travelers, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Chicago, IL, USA
Programs: AA Gold
Posts: 15,651
Jul 11, 2017, 12:14 pm
#25
Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory
Programs: Just Say No to Fleecing and Blacklisting
Posts: 102,095
Source of what? Wisconsin driver's ed books provided to high school students in the state had mentioned time limits at some point. And car dealer lots.
In other news, Wisconsin had a law -- maybe it still does -- that gave cows the right of way on public roads.
In other news, Wisconsin had a law -- maybe it still does -- that gave cows the right of way on public roads.
Last edited by GUWonder; Jul 11, 2017 at 12:40 pm
Jul 11, 2017, 4:17 pm
#26
Join Date: Jun 2014
Programs: UA MM
Posts: 4,125
Seems motoring in convertibles is very alive and well in Wisconsin:
http://www.postbulletin.com/life/tra...3d60f92cc.html
http://www.postbulletin.com/life/tra...3d60f92cc.html
Jul 11, 2017, 4:53 pm
#27
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: ORD
Programs: UA Silver, Marriott Platinum/LT Platinum, Hilton Gold
Posts: 5,594
Common sense says there's a time limit on when you can drive convertibles in Wisconsin. Even if there were some 60-year old law on the books about convertibles, it doesn't mean it would be enforced. I'm with the others here who don't understand the reason for the question.
Jul 11, 2017, 4:58 pm
#28
Join Date: Sep 1999
Programs: AA EXP, SPG PLT, Hyatt DIA, Hilton GLD
Posts: 974
The information you are sharing is just not correct.
Jul 12, 2017, 1:43 am
#29
Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory
Programs: Just Say No to Fleecing and Blacklisting
Posts: 102,095
What information is incorrect? The state has had restrictions on the times when convertibles could be driven and has had a restriction that granted cows/livestock the right of way on the road. Both are correct. While, as indicated earlier, I don't know the current status of those restrictions -- since neither seems to have been enforced for decades -- these restrictions were in place long before there was an FT and are part of living memory for some of us with extensive history of driving in the state.
Residents of a place most commonly don't know all the funky historical legal restrictions a state has had and even may still have.
For years now, there have even been open top touring events promoted by the local tourism info providers and regional administrative entities otherwise. And car dealers have been selling convertibles in the state for as long as I have been vehicle shopping in the state.
Residents of a place most commonly don't know all the funky historical legal restrictions a state has had and even may still have.
Seems motoring in convertibles is very alive and well in Wisconsin:
http://www.postbulletin.com/life/tra...3d60f92cc.html
http://www.postbulletin.com/life/tra...3d60f92cc.html
Last edited by iluv2fly; Jul 14, 2017 at 5:24 am Reason: merge
Jul 13, 2017, 8:18 am
#30
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2008
Location: San Francisco
Programs: GM on VX, UA, AA, HA, AS, SY; Budget Fastbreak
Posts: 27,605
I returned convertible on Tuesday late afternoon. Wednesday was a brutal rain storm in Chicago (which contributed to my ord flight being 4 hours delayed), so I returned it with lucky timing. Thanks again to everyone - Wisconsin is definitely more lovely from an open top perspective!