A guy I work with had a truck kick up a piece of road about the size of a baseball.... it came through the windshield and hit his wife in the passenger side. It broke her nose, and knocked her unconscious. Very scary.

Obviously there are many similar horror stories about the highway... There's only one thing you can do.... pay attention to the road around you, and avoid following ANYONE at a close distance. Car, truck, or whatever.... I never follow anyone closely, and I don't have any rock chips on my car.

I refuse to get a clear bra, because they detract from the look of the car. So I drive carefully, and so far I'm doing fine.

 

Is it really that noticeable? My GS400 with 65k miles has lots of rock chips on the front, and I don't want the same thing to happen to my BMW. I don't even tailgate that much, so I'm skeptical that simply following at a greater than average difference can eliminate these, but if that's been your experience...

 

Is it really that noticeable? My GS400 with 65k miles has lots of rock chips on the front, and I don't want the same thing to happen to my BMW. I don't even tailgate that much, so I'm skeptical that simply following at a greater than average difference can eliminate these, but if that's been your experience...
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Not very noticeable at all if installed properly. The install is truly the key.
They blend in with some colors beter than others. On my Ti Silver you have to refocus to see it at all. No one ever notices it.

As for not follwing cars too closely and this being the key......hmmm...well....if you ever travel on the interstate this is impossible. I never follow closer than three car lengths, but cars pass you and or pull over in front of you all the time. Some one says they can avoid rock chips by their driving habits....?....well sir....you should write a book 'cause I have tried everything!

 

Absolutely. Having black is a nightmare when it comes down to rock chips.

 

thanks guys, i agree perhaps my perception of safe distance should increase.
i did not take down the license plate of the truck which happens to be unmarked. painful lesson learned, but the damage could have been much worse.

 

A little more sobering:

Debris that comes across the center divider.

A few weeks ago a minivan was struck in the windshield by a heavy metal clamp that came off a truck traveling in the opposite direction. Two men, one in front and one behind him on the passenger side, were decapitated.

Debris, much of it from improperly secured or covered loads on trucks and pickups, is a real serious problem.