Road Debris

I have been seeing a significant increase of road debris down here in Louisiana. I'm not talking about an occaisional cardboard box, but ice chests, ice chest tops, sofas, tables, mattresses, kitchen appliances, bags of aluminum cans that fell off of a vehicles, and cans all over the road, lumber, pipes, I could go on, but you catch my drift. these are objects that could cause a very unpleasant experience on what started out as a relaxing ride, whether you actually hit them, or they are hurled at you by the vehicle in front of you.
Have any of you guys seen an increase of road debris in your state ? Anyone have an unpleasant experience with road debris?

[cactusjack]

We have a lot of "road gators" here due to the heat. I'm always dodging them.

The worst experience I had was following a work truck towing a utility trailer a few months ago. I was on a "flyover" ramp. a ramp that connects one freeway with another, and the truck lost 2 sections of wrought-iron pool fencing that hit the ground and then frisbeed back across to the other side and over the side of the ramp, falling 70 feet to the traffic lanes below. That was a puckering experience. It was so close to me I ducked.

[dantama]

Last week I got a pucker experience from a bunch of beer cans in the road. I was leaving a red light, so I was closer to the car in front of me than usual as we had just cleared the other cross walk and hadn't spread out yet. All of a sudden there was about 10 beer cans all over in my lane coming out from under the car in front.

Turns out they were empty, but it gave me a pucker.

I've also in past years had luggage from on top of an SUV come loose and go flying. I was the vehicle right behind it, but had just changed lanes to pass it when it all came flying off.

One that annoys me most is pieces of plywood scrap. If it isn't a 4x8 sheet, then it's scrap. If its scrap and looks old, it has a good likelihood of having some nails sticking up out of it. I do a pretty good swerve going around them.

It always amazes me that some folks think that they can throw anything in the back of a truck, or on a trailer, not tie it down, and expect it to stay in the truck or on the trailer. Dan, you experienced one of my biggest fears, and that's something flying from a vehicle, and I'm behind it. I give much more room than normal behind any vehicle that's pulling or hauling anything. Weekends, here, are tough, because that's "moving day". Everybody moves on a weekend, and they love to haul ass on the interstate with an unsecure load.

CJ, if I would have been with you on your puckering experience, puckering wouldn"t have helped me. I would have had to change my pants.

[flightdoc]

Hi guys,

When I come up behind a vehicle that has a load of anything not properly secured I go around them asap. That includes eighteen wheelers. I'm always afraid of a tire blowing out on one of those big rigs.

vin

[dantama]

It always amazes me that some folks think that they can throw anything in the back of a truck, or on a trailer, not tie it down, and expect it to stay in the truck or on the trailer. ............... Everybody moves on a weekend, and they love to haul ass on the interstate with an unsecure load.

My Brother-in-law is a good (bad) example of that. He was hauling a full size sofa down the freeway in the bed of a pickup. He thought that it was big enough to hold its self in without tying it.

He lost it out of the bed of the truck. The wind created enough lift to take it right up and out of the truck.

In the case of the luggage, I looked at it, didn't feel comfortable with it, and decided to change lanes and pass it. It came off when I was right up next to it, so I saw it all go, but wasn't in line with it. It must have been a bad vacation for them.

When you look on the side of the freeway, you see everything like you mentioned. 5 gal buckets, coolers, step ladders, etc.

I'm wary every time I see something in the bed of a pick up truck now.

[pagemastr]

Lets see... ran over a step ladder in my ex's car, had a tarp blow from the back of a truck under mine, and dodging pieces of fence on my way home this afternoon on the freeway. Yeah, lots to dodge in Columbus!!!

[Cajunrider]

Never follow a trailered boat very closely down here. You may get an empty ice bag, gallon jug, life preserver, empty beer case, etc blown into your path or face. Stay back or get around it as quickly as you can. I think I've posted this before but it's worth mentioning again at this time of the year.

Good point ! I forgot to mention what's not tied down in boats. Thanks for bringing that up. I just have seen so much road debris lately. it concerns me as to what a danger it is. What brought this to mind was about a week ago on I-10, a lid to a large Rubbermaid container was thrown up by the car in front of me. I was a safe enough distance back, but had I not been, and had that lid been something much harder, it coulda hurt real bad !! Gotta stay alert.

[pagemastr]

From the Grand Forks Herald:

An accident south of Grand Forks sent two people to Altru Hospital Friday night, according to the State Highway Patrol.

Wes Thompson, 49, and his passenger, Cheryl Thompson, 46, both of Thompson, N.D., were heading north on a Kawasaki in the 1100 block of 11th Street Northeast while a Chevy pickup driven by Dean Drees, 46, also of Thompson, was pulling a pontoon southbound just after 8 p.m.

A mattress on the pontoon blew out, Trooper Adam Dvorak said, and struck the motorcyclists who skidded into the ditch. Drees was cited for not having the load secured.

The Grand Forks County Sheriff’s Office, Altru Ambulance and Rural Grand Forks Fire Department also responded. The accident is under investigation.

[unwind2]

I'm sure some of you have had this experience too. Hubie and I were behind an 18-wheeler as he started loosing his retread.....some weaving fun going down the hwy. http://s2.images.proboards.com/shocked.gif

As least I was following my hubie....gave me a little more heads up than him. ;)

You see pieces of tires down here quite often. I don't think I've ever seen an actual " tread shedding " in progress. I'm always arriving after the fact it seems. That would be a very good test of skills. Also, I heard of, but never have seen, 18 wheelers throwing heavy road debris behind them. That's why I've heard it is safest to ride in line with their tires, and not directly behind them. Am I correct ?

[ringadingh]

I once had a tailgate fall off a pickup truck and come sailing through the air towards me. I thought it was coming in the truck so I ducked down on the seat. It landed just in front of me and I ran it over.

[cactusjack]

About the truck that was losing the sections of pool railing - I was on a ramp, and I had no place to go. All I could do was back away from it, but it was rush hour traffic. After the second piece came out, the dumbass driver pulled over to the right and stopped. He was looking right at me as I went by and I yelled at him to "secure his !@#$% load!!!" He just had an empty, vacuous expression on his face. If I have ever felt like just punching someone for my own amusement, it was that guy. http://s2.images.proboards.com/grin.gif

[cactusjack]

Last week I got a pucker experience from a bunch of beer cans in the road. I was leaving a red light, so I was closer to the car in front of me than usual as we had just cleared the other cross walk and hadn't spread out yet. All of a sudden there was about 10 beer cans all over in my lane coming out from under the car in front.

Turns out they were empty, but it gave me a pucker.

I've also in past years had luggage from on top of an SUV come loose and go flying. I was the vehicle right behind it, but had just changed lanes to pass it when it all came flying off.

One that annoys me most is pieces of plywood scrap. If it isn't a 4x8 sheet, then it's scrap. If its scrap and looks old, it has a good likelihood of having some nails sticking up out of it. I do a pretty good swerve going around them.

Beer cans, huh? Were you following me?

http://s2.images.proboards.com/grin.gif http://s2.images.proboards.com/grin.gif http://s2.images.proboards.com/grin.gif http://s2.images.proboards.com/grin.gif

[dantama]

Last week I got a pucker experience from a bunch of beer cans in the road. I was leaving a red light, so I was closer to the car in front of me than usual as we had just cleared the other cross walk and hadn't spread out yet. All of a sudden there was about 10 beer cans all over in my lane coming out from under the car in front.

Turns out they were empty, but it gave me a pucker.

I've also in past years had luggage from on top of an SUV come loose and go flying. I was the vehicle right behind it, but had just changed lanes to pass it when it all came flying off.

One that annoys me most is pieces of plywood scrap. If it isn't a 4x8 sheet, then it's scrap. If its scrap and looks old, it has a good likelihood of having some nails sticking up out of it. I do a pretty good swerve going around them.

Beer cans, huh? Were you following me?

No .... :)

But just because you know Denver so well, it was on Broadway and Belleview. There was so many of them that I think somebody probably lost a bag of empties out of the back of a truck.

[zoom45]

There was a fence company truck in front of me and a whole roll of cyclone fencing bounced out and was rolling down the interstate in front of me. A poor lady was beside me and the roll veered into the front of her and she centered it. That was close. I didn't know what to do just got lucky it went her way instead of mine.
Zoom45

[ringadingh]

Last week I got a pucker experience from a bunch of beer cans in the road. I was leaving a red light, so I was closer to the car in front of me than usual as we had just cleared the other cross walk and hadn't spread out yet. All of a sudden there was about 10 beer cans all over in my lane coming out from under the car in front.

Turns out they were empty, but it gave me a pucker.

I've also in past years had luggage from on top of an SUV come loose and go flying. I was the vehicle right behind it, but had just changed lanes to pass it when it all came flying off.

One that annoys me most is pieces of plywood scrap. If it isn't a 4x8 sheet, then it's scrap. If its scrap and looks old, it has a good likelihood of having some nails sticking up out of it. I do a pretty good swerve going around them.

Beer cans, huh? Were you following me?

You should have picked them all up they're worth a dime apeice here. http://s2.images.proboards.com/grin.gif http://s2.images.proboards.com/grin.gif

[tazfl]

Years ago, one night my wife was heading to bed and I decided I was going to take a late ride. So I jumped on my 1500 classic and took off around town. it was about midnight and I decided I'd head back home. I was on I-295, running about 80 MPH, no helmet and something up ahead in the road sort of caught my eye with just enough time for me to change lanes to avoid hitting it....it was a plastic black bedliner that had blown out of the back of a pickup truck, laying in the middle of my lane.
The thing that made it even scarrier was that they had done some resurfacing on 295 and if that bedliner had been a couple miles back it would have been on the dark asphalt where it would have blended right in with the road. instead it was on the faded old asphalt that was more of a grey color then black so it made it possible for me to see it.
theres no doubt had i hit it I would have been dead.

[foztex]

Same amount as usual in West Texas.

Years ago, one night my wife was heading to bed and I decided I was going to take a late ride. So I jumped on my 1500 classic and took off around town. it was about midnight and I decided I'd head back home. I was on I-295, running about 80 MPH, no helmet and something up ahead in the road sort of caught my eye with just enough time for me to change lanes to avoid hitting it....it was a plastic black bedliner that had blown out of the back of a pickup truck, laying in the middle of my lane.
The thing that made it even scarrier was that they had done some resurfacing on 295 and if that bedliner had been a couple miles back it would have been on the dark asphalt where it would have blended right in with the road. instead it was on the faded old asphalt that was more of a grey color then black so it made it possible for me to see it.
theres no doubt had i hit it I would have been dead.

Man !! I get the creeps just thinking about that !!

[macmac]

Interesting thread..

One I can recall was the canoe race on the 4th of July several, well ok more than several years ago now.

I was north bound on Liberty in heavy fast moving traffic. Rt 16 in NH is fast and busy that time of year. Just about the time I notice jute twine which I pay attion to for other reasons was the only thing holding a canoe on a SUV it all broke.

The canoe went straight up and came back down at 55 mph, landing on it's bottom. I was into brakes hard, but the suv behind me wasn't.

That canoe headed west, leaving me no time to think. The guy that lost it began to brake to, and i was in a real bad place!

I didn't know what to do, but passed that canoe as fast as I could running the center line with on coming traffic.

I don't mind telling anyone I was friggin scared!

The next time it was a double bed mattress.. http://s2.images.proboards.com/grin.gif No problem at all. It came off like the canoe, but didn't slide as well. The driver began to slow but left plenty of room and a ran that mattress over in my plow trick and grinned at him!

The last time was in upstate NY, in a lake effect blizzard, where a dresser came off a pick up and I dammned near hit that one in the car.

Ya gotta watch it no matter when and what time of year it is..

On edit.. I forgot one.

Mini van with a load of sheet rock on top. I noticed the string holding it was getting to be real loose, and the load was shifting on a bumpy road in Maine, so I rode the Nad up to the drivers window and pointe d at his load.

In turn the guy wacked his brakes and the load rode off the top ahead of him where he ran it over himself! http://s2.images.proboards.com/grin.gif

Some people are just born screwed! http://s2.images.proboards.com/cool.gif

You got that right !! Some people ARE just born screwed. Like I said before, it amazes me how people think that a half assed tie down job is not as dangerous as a no tie down job. They ain't all in the zoo , mac.

[pagemastr]

So much of this around town it is what scares me the most!

BUCKEYE, Ariz. -- A Covington man died Sunday night in a motorcycle accident in Arizona.

Arizona State Police said Cary Jaquish, 32, was westbound on Interstate 10 near Buckeye, Ariz., when he hit a piece of tire tread, forcing him to lay the bike down.
He was flown to St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, where he was later pronounced dead.
Troopers said Jaquish was wearing a helmet and protective riding gear.

I also have a fear of this happening. Shreads of tire are all over the Interstates here. My greatest fear is to be next to an 18 wheeler when a tire blows. Scary thought!

[desertdog]

That accident was about 4 miles from my house. I run that road quite often. Scary. It was dark, and so he probably did not have a good sight line, the tire would blend in with the pavement.

To make it worse, his fiance was in a vehicle about 20 minutes behind, so came upon the accident.

Gives me second thoughts about night riding. Especially on the interstate. With the heat at this time of year trucks lose alot of tires around here .

[bfancett]

My favorite is what I call Michigan Aligators (large tire treads) in the road. Michigan has a higher than normal maximum wieght limit for trucks on the roads, and this leads to a lot of tire blowouts. What we end up with is entire shredded tires in the road.

I have never had to ride over one, but there have been many close calls where the Motorcycle Safety Foundation courses that i have taken really paid off.