Debris riding behind trucks and trailers

**MotoGirl** · 17th September 2007, 21:43

Originally Posted by klingon

Going over the harbour bridge the other day behind an "empty" gravel truck and great chunks of rock were flying off in all directions, over both the clipon lanes.

These are exactly the type of idiots I find myself having to pass.

**BarryG** · 18th September 2007, 05:28

How about a fuk'n ladder!!! Going home after work a couple of weeks ago, in the HOV (outside) lane of our Interstate 95, 65 mph, following a big BMW, JUST had time to move a few inches off my path and miss a bloody 12' aluminium ladder lying lengthwise (luckily) in the road! My front tyre did just clip it, I heard it, and pulled off at the next exit to see the damage, of which there was none. I shudder to think what a few inches to the left would have wrought.
I stopped a bit further up the highway when I saw a Highway Patrol car on the side of the road, to tell him there would likkey be a report of carnage on the road behind me in a few minutes, as there's no way the ladder would have stayed there without somebody hitting it.
As someone said, the asshole who dropped it would have been completely oblivious at the consequences of their carelesness. I'd strangle the bastards, I really would.
Be careful out there.
Cheers
Barry

**Conquiztador** · 18th September 2007, 09:05

A few years back I was travelling back from PN in the night to Napier. It was a little foggy. Came up to a bridge and as I went over it there was a pile of broken planks on the road. Managed to evade it all. Turned around to pick it off the road so nobody else would hit it. That's when I noticed that it was from the railing of the bridge... There was a car on its side in the river lights still on. I stopped a car, asked them to ring police and ambulance, and ran down to the water and got in. Under the car a guy was pinned. A police car turned up and we managed to turn the car and get the guy out. But he was a goner. Turns out that the police was on the look for him as he had filled his car and left w/o paying at the nearby petrol station. And he had been far from sober...

**F5 Dave** · 18th September 2007, 09:42

I saw a hilarious thing the other day, some chap had left Parapine or wherever with a trailer of quite sturdy posts, maybe 100 x 100. They were real long, 5 or so metres, so obviously would stick far out the back of his trailer, unbalancing it. So his brilliant idea was to open the back of the station-wagon & slide them forward into the back.

OK so top marks for tying them on pretty well, but erm, what happens when you want to turn a sharp corner?

He was about to turn off the motorway (wood place in pretty much a straight line behind him), sadly I was going ahead & he was in a queue, but I can imagine his surprise as the wood tries to lever it’s way through the back of his car.

**Swoop** · 18th September 2007, 09:51

Originally Posted by BarryG

Going home after work a couple of weeks ago, in the HOV (outside) lane of our Interstate 95, 65 mph,... Barry

Hey, Barry. A silly question if I may?
HOV lanes in Florida and the USA. Are bikes legally allowed to use these?
Just interested since NZ is slowly coming into the 19th century and installing some here. Our rule-makers like to make things difficult for bikers though...

Interested to hear about the US rules.

**surfchick** · 18th September 2007, 15:59

i had a double bed mattress and base fly off a terrano -the base into the mid-motorway lane and the mattress flew-flopped into the fastlane where I was.

gave the breaks everything then threaded between the two. i never follow anything for long that has a load of any kind.

boxes were dropping out of a recycling truck the other day on the n-western...

**surfchick** · 18th September 2007, 16:03

Originally Posted by Conquiztador

A few years back I was travelling back from PN in the night to Napier. It was a little foggy. Came up to a bridge and as I went over it there was a pile of broken planks on the road. Managed to evade it all. Turned around to pick it off the road so nobody else would hit it. That's when I noticed that it was from the railing of the bridge... There was a car on its side in the river lights still on. I stopped a car, asked them to ring police and ambulance, and ran down to the water and got in. Under the car a guy was pinned. A police car turned up and we managed to turn the car and get the guy out. But he was a goner. Turns out that the police was on the look for him as he had filled his car and left w/o paying at the nearby petrol station. And he had been far from sober...

OMG

lucky you stopped...

**Kinje** · 18th September 2007, 16:30

Originally Posted by Ocean1

Once upon a time I was damn near brained by a brick. It had become lodged between the dual tyres on a truck and thrown out once up to motorway speed. Ever since I've been a bit watchful of dual tyres, tend to stay out of direct line behind.

This did happen to my old man. There was a stone flung from a dual tyre truck through the windscreen of his car and hit him in the face. He somehow managed to stop the car and had his face rebuilt. Must say I am also very concious of following dual tyre trucks.

**Conquiztador** · 18th September 2007, 19:03

Originally Posted by surfchick

OMG

lucky you stopped...

Well surfy, the thing was, as we got the guy out from under tha car and on to land I started giving him CPR, but the police and the ambulance crew, who had arrived by then, all told me to stop. Probably was far too late anyhow. My instincts just kicked in. But I got the impression that they knew him well and were happy that he was gone...

**BarryG** · 19th September 2007, 05:06

Hey, Swoop, yes, in Florida, HOV lanes include bikes, not sure about other states - it's the one good thing about riding on the highway, I suppose.
We are not allowed to filter (or split lanes, as they say over here) in Florida, or many other states, to my knowledge, but that ability or approval would make commuting on a bike perfect.
It's asinine, really, they don't require you to wear a helmet in Florida, but don't allow you to split lanes. I reckon they should repeal the former law, and allow filtering, even if they restricted the speed at which you could do it.
However, will politicians ever see logic and reason?
To be honest, I'll filter in city traffic to get to the head of a line at a light - I'll worry about the legality of it when I get stopped. In the meantime, I think I'm doing my bit for the flow of traffic, and keeping myself away from the cages that are trying to hurt me

Cheers
Barry