Thursday, September 29, 2011

Tied Down - Or Not

What's the deal with highway drivers not tying down their loads? I get the impression they don't realize the danger they are causing for other drivers.

Today I ran over what must have been an aluminum gutter, or at least a long, bent up piece of sheet metal of some sort. I don't know if it did any damage, but it hit the underside of my car.

Yesterday I found myself stuck in the right lane on Highway 70 - semi on my left - unable to dodge a couple of large plastic trash cans. Some cars and trucks ahead of us hit them.. they were airborne, and then the semi on my left hit one of 'em.. and then of course, I hit one of them. As far as I could tell, little to no damage, luckily.

A few months ago, I was driving east on Page and heading toward the 170 south entrance ramp. There was an overloaded pickup truck with furniture, and it looked like the load wasn't tied down at all. He made it through the stoplight, but I had to wait.

By the time I made it onto 170, this guy was a good deal ahead of me. But then (of course), I see furniture on the highway. Not surprised! He was pulled over just before the Olive exit, trying to collect his load off the roadway.

Last year I had to dodge a queen-size mattress on 270. What would that do to your car at 60mph? It's just insane. My brother was a ways behind us, so I called him to warn him.. of course, he doesn't answer his phone when he's driving!