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]

Originally Posted by bankerfrank

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.

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.