Learn to tie your load down, dummy!

[BrenDAnn]

I went to visit my eldest nephew today, some forty-five minutes south of me, all on regular two-lane highway. On the way, i got behind a silver SUV type vehicle, pulling a little trailer, with some stuff on the trailer. I thought nothing of it, until a lawn chair tumbled off the trailer and onto the road. I'm not talking the folded up kind. I mean the solid, regular, non-folding kind of lawn chair. I somehow managed to swerve out of its path, and backed off even more than I already had been from the SUV. A bit down the road, another chair, more swerving, more cussing from me. Just as I got to my turn off, not one, but TWO more chairs came off the trailer. The kicker? No one in the vehicle noticed a thing. They were completely oblivious to their chairs flying everywhere, as well as myself and every car behind me swerving to avoid them! I can only imaging how shocked and confused they must've been on arriving at their destination, to find their chairs and whatever else from their trailer gone. It's their own fault, though. As my title says, learn to tie your load down, dumbass! I'm sure those chairs aren't cheap, and you could've caused several damn accidents! I'm just glad I was paying attention!

[wolfie]

The 3 cargoes I've learned to hate are lumber (especially plywood), furniture (especially mattresses), and hay. Why? Because they're the bulky loads most likely to be hauled by amateurs who've never heard about load securement.

Fun fact: An improperly secured load (which could be an illegible tag on a strap, so the working load limit can't be read, resulting in the strap not being counted for securement purposes) can bring a 5-figure fine to a professional driver. Amateurs, even if their demonstrably improperly secured load (by definition, if the cargo falls off, the load is not properly secured) causes an accident, don't get charged.

There was an incident in New Jersey a while back where an amateur lost their load, another amateur swerved to avoid it, a big rig swerved to avoid that, rolled, and the driver was killed. No charges against the guy who caused the accident. If cargo falling off a semi resulted in the driver of a car being killed, the trucker would wind up in jail.

I'd say more, but someone would mention the "F" word.

[An Haddock]

There was an incident in New Jersey a while back where an amateur lost their load, another amateur swerved to avoid it, a big rig swerved to avoid that, rolled, and the driver was killed. No charges against the guy who caused the accident. If cargo falling off a semi resulted in the driver of a car being killed, the trucker would wind up in jail.

The director who made Sophie's Choice and some other films was killed on the Atlantic City Expressway years ago when a metal pipe flew up from the road and went through his windshield. That's some serious Final Destination level shit there.

Any time I see someone with bunch of potentially poorly-tied stuff in the back of their vehicle I back WAY off, or even get into a different lane.

Of course, there was the time I was driving on 95 in Philly and a truck had their whole TRAILER break loose right in front of us. Fortunately it veered off to the side and stopped at a guard rail, but imagine if it drifted into oncoming traffic instead. Oy vey.

[notalwaysright]

And this whole time nobody honked or tried to alert this driver?? I've been riding with my dad and someone had something loose on a trailer, and my dad got up next to him and gestured until the other driver pulled over. We pulled over in front of him, and my dad pointed out that the guy was going to probably lose his stuff and cause an accident. They fixed it, and everyone drove on.

[eltf177]

And this whole time nobody honked or tried to alert this driver??

Honking just gets you the finger, or worse. Trying to communicate frequently ends up with the other driver thinking you're dissiing him, or worse.

Need to be careful here, even though you are 100% in the right...

[BrenDAnn]

eltf177 is right, and as oblivious as these people were, I doubt they would've noticed. I did think about honking, but the line of cars behind them swerving to the left and back MULTIPLE times to avoid their debris didn't catch their attention. Why would a horn?

[csquared]

A call to 911 about the dangerous situation would have been in order. Failure to secure a load can go from a ticket to a felony very quickly.

[MadMike]

Trying to communicate frequently ends up with the other driver thinking you're dissiing him, or worse.

I had a scare like that myself awhile back. I was driving along, and thought the guy behind me was getting close. Then when I got to a stop light, he got out and started coming towards me. I rolled down the window just a crack, and he told me that my brake lights weren't working.

So, nothing bad there, but you just never know.

[Argabarga]

Call the cops and give them the FULL plate and FULL description of the vehicle, if it's a slow day, they may be able to dispatch an officer to actually follow the bread crumbs and cite the person at the end for their trouble.

It's only a matter of time before my own Dad kills someone this way, unfortunately. He's starting to lose it mentally and forgets things like wind resistance still exist, the number of things I've seen blow out the windows/bed of his truck is astounding.... yesterday, he lost a MATTRESS out there, somewhere.

Came home, asked me to help him unload it, I walked out, and it wasn't there..... I hope nobody got hurt.

[Crai]

I once had a guy in a commercial truck with one of thoes dumpsters on it lose his load.
As he was flying down the road at 70 he was losing insulation, dry wall, shingles, ect. A piece of Dry wall came flying out and hit my jeep. So I got up next to him and tried to flag him down. Be flipped me the bird and tried to cut me off. I called the cops and just followed him to the dump. Told the people at the dump what was up, when the cops showed up they and I confronted him, Turns out he was driving on a suspended license.

Small damage to the bumper on my jeep and had some insulation to pull out of the grill.

"Yep keep Pissing the Ginger off see how that works out for you world"

[pudddykat]

Never EVER piss the ginger off. My BFF/carpool buddy and I listen to the radio and during traffic laugh and shake our head at the things in the left lane (it always seems to be the left lane) causing traffic issues. Ladders are common. Shovel, mattress to name a couple. The car who left tire tread in the right lane and was pulled over on the shoulder gets a pass obviously. I refer you back to the title.

[BrenDAnn]

I would've called 911, except I don't think I could see their license plate at the time. I was just grateful to get out from behind them. I do still wonder what the looks on their faces were like when they got where they were going, and went to unload their trailer, we like. Oh, yes, and I second the never piss off the ginger. Bad idea, all around, that one! Ha!

[LesserSouthernFroglet]

A few years ago my ex and I were driving out of major city on the expressway. There was a sheet of gyprock (drywall) on the road, a car in front ran over it and it flicked up, the corner of it hit the hood of our car, skated up the hood and sort of brushed up over the screen and then away. The car had a plastic protective shield right at the front, which deflected the gyprock somewhat. We always reckoned if that protective shield wasn't there, the sheet would have come corner first through the windscreen and into her face. Scary stuff.

I've seen cars lose their loads like the drywall sheet, but the best? A large canvas-covered truck turning in front of me. It was carrying milk-crates full of glass soda bottles. As I was waiting for the light, the truck slowly, gracefully toppled over, shattering enormous amounts of glass, plastic and soda right in the middle of the intersection. I'm so sore it was pre-cameras on phones.

[wolfie]

A large canvas-covered truck turning in front of me. It was carrying milk-crates full of glass soda bottles. As I was waiting for the light, the truck slowly, gracefully toppled over, shattering enormous amounts of glass, plastic and soda right in the middle of the intersection. I'm so sore it was pre-cameras on phones.

Were there traces of pot ash in the cab? How much of the load was lemon-lime flavour?

Also, considering where you're from, have you ever seen Rolf Harris traveling with an unsecured kangaroo? Cookies for reference.

[dalesys]

... Rolf Harris ...

So we tanned his hide when he died, Clyde, and that's it hanging on the shed.