Ok, so let's see if there are any wacky geniuses out there:

Rock chips, we all hate them. Where do they come from mostly? Following other cars to closely? Cars next to you? Etc. Etc. Etc.?

Do you have more or less chance of getting rock chips by driving in certain lanes? For example, if you take the leftest lane on a freeway, meaning there are no cars on your left (but maybe a sound barrier or a wall), are you minimizing your chance of damage to the driver's side of your car as compared to driving in the middle lane where cars are on both sides? Do you then have to consider that the little pebbles that are pushed to the side of the road could be a possible source of damage if you're in that leftest lane?

And is it better to follow behind a big vehicle or a small one - or does it matter at all? I recently was following a big rig with big fat mud flaps and there was a small Sentra in the next lane with no mud flaps and I was contemplating which one to follow (both were going same speed, which says something about either the driver of the big rig or the Sentra) to minimize seeing more rock chips.

Yes I have too much time on my hands...

 

drive slow and far far behind vehicles in front of you. rock's don't fly so if you say away from anything flingning rocks at you such as other people's tires you'll be ok. and if rocks don't hit your car fast enough then your paint won't chip. common sense

the rocket scientist/engineer answer would be:

F=ma, the mass of the rock will not change so therefore the only thing that affects the force at which a rock hits your car is its acceleration. rocks are accelerated only when acted upon by another object, such as a rotating tire. friction will cause the rock to stick to the tire and the rotational force will fling it off radially at a random point on the circumference of the tire.
the rock's projectile motion is affected by wind resistance and gravity. therefore the rock is slowed by wind resistance and is pulled to the ground by gravity. there is no chance of the rock spontaneously leaving the ground in the path of your hood or front bumper. in conclusion you should drive slower and farther away from anything that will excite little rocks and project them at your car.

you can refer Newton's laws of physics if you need more info.

and yes i have too much time on my hands too...

 

Cool! Thanks for jumping in! I have a clear bra in front and the bumper is pitted already so I'm not too worry about the front, what I am annoyed about are the rock chips on the side (doors) and I have a few that's pretty high, almost right under the mirror (so I don't think splash guards would help) and I'm wondering if my theory of driving in a lane with no cars next to you is valid.

Anyone else?