Motorcyclist hits bath tub in the road!

[beemerman2k]

 

Just a reminder to everyone who are breaking out the bikes for the Spring, remember to expect the unexpected:

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070408/ap_on_re_us/brf_bathtub_wreck

[Eschelon1]

Yup, ya gotta watch out for those DIY movers too. I'm sure many of us have seen the pillow cushions, the inevitable mattress and other pieces of furniture on the road in our travels.

 

Stay alert!

 

[Lawman]

"The pickup's driver, 32-year-old Shain Autumn Springfield, was booked with negligent injury and driving with an unsecured load, he said. "

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If the article is accurate hoorah for the state of Louisiana..He went to jail..

[George Brown]

I try to always remember Dave Hough's article title "imagine that there is a refrigerator in the middle of the road around the next bend" or something like that. Things fall off trucks.

 

A couple of years ago I had some unkind words for a trucker driving a roll-off car carrier with three or four mounted tires unsecured on the bed. One came off as he made 90 degree left from a stop at the top of an off-ramp. Fortunately, I anticipated this and held back in my Audi as I watched it bounce a couple times toward me then roll off to the right. He told me to mind my own business when I firmly suggested that he was brainless and also responsible for ensuring that his load was secure. Then I calmed down apoligized to him for getting hot and explained that I was also a motorcyclist and stuff like that could kill me. He also calmed down, recoved his tire and secured all the tires before he proceeded. I like to think he learned his lesson - but who knows.

[catmandoo]

funny you should mention the refridgerator.about 20 years ago me and a buddy were cruising down the interstate thru sioux city iowa about midnight.we just happen to see this moonlight reflection off something in front of us and slowed down,then out of the shadows sets a refridgerator right in the middle of our lane.if we wouldn't have caught that little reflection it definately would have put the hurt on the old pickup.if not us.

[Francois_Dumas]

It's always the unexpected that gets you, isn't it? (or at least tries to).

 

Yesterday when we were passing a big (equivalent of your) 18-wheeler, suddenly a large piece of garden hose was thrown up in the air by the tractor's wheels. Somehow it was sucked in behind the tractor and got stuck underneath the trailer, instead of winding up on the road in front of my wheels........ I had ducked already, but have no idea what would have happened should have hit us in mid-air !

 

Today we have a lot of slabbing to do to ride the length of the country and back ...... I'll be careful

[TyTass]

Delivery trucks can be worrisome indeed. But most delivery men at least understand the concept of inertia and attempt to secure a load in some fashion for a given trip - though never enough for a strong evasive manuever or wreck.

 

But I positively loathe riding near any pick-up truck. [sorry ahead of time to the 5 bazillion BMWRT members out there with p/u trucks.] Not only do p/u trucks leave some of the worst vortecies for their relative size, but it seems the avg p/u truck owner is completely unaware of inertia. It is as though they think that because a load is too heavy to lift that it will stay on their p/u bed. [i have personally heard this said at Lowes no less than 3 times]. And at least where I drive regularly, they don't seem to be able to stay in any one lane. It would appear that p/u truck drivers in my area hold that their lane is the one they are currently driving in, plus or minus 15% to either side.

 

Sorry to get off on a rant. I know not all p/u trucks owners function that way - but bringing the viewpoint back to the thread ... Beware of ANY pick-up truck with a load and the tailgate down!

[Rpstk]

Here in New York, the roadsalt state I want to let guys know that I've noticed a number of older SUVs and pickups with rusted through spare tire cables dangling underneath,(minus the tire)!

It seems the cables fray and break from corrosion and the tire may come out from under the vehicle when hitting a bump;

this happened to me about 7 years ago with a Ford Explorer, I hit a bump at 70MPH and when I glanced in the mirror to my surprise I saw a tire about 20 feet in the air and it bounced over a 9 foot fence, there were no other cars around so I knew it had to be from my vehicle, I stopped and looked for the tire far 30 minutes, but it must have entered the next county, thank goodness there were no motorcycles behind me,.