Stones and rubbish on the motorways

[fernar]

After almost 1 year of driving mostly up and down the M3, I am amazed that just how much rubbish there is on the motorways. Todate I have had 10 stones thrown up at my car by vehicles in front (before anyone asks - no I dont tailgate). Two of these stones have chipped my windscreen - not enough to actually break the glass - but enough to leave a mark that annoys me.

I also have a number of small stone chips on the front of my car - I have used touch-up paint on the two bigger chips and while no-one else notices them, I do everytime I wash my car..!

Yesterday a rubber bung hit my car on the side while I was doing 75 MPH - this was thrown up by a truck going the other direction on the M3. This left a 3mm chip low down near the wheel arch (more touch-up paint..!). It didnt actually dent the body - but it did chip off some paint.

I dont recal the motorways being so bad in the past - so I guess this is yet another example of howpublic services are gogin down hill...!

 

[jberks]

Maybe thats where you are going wrong - if you did tailgate, the rubbish wouldn't be able to reach your windscreen!

After a year of motorway work, my E carries the scars - lost of stone chips, lots of touch up and even a ding in the chrome of the radiator grill. Can't say its any worse that it ever was though - my escort used to get battered back in the 80's.

 

[sooper coop]

Coming down the A3 once on the CBR6. there was a double bed in the middle of the road.

nice.

no sleeping police gags please.

 

[SLIGOGOLFER]

Public services going down hill? I dont think so. "A" and "B" roads plus careless people in carparks will all put marks on your car. Its never been any different.
Anyway, should this not have been entered under "Things that irritate me"? :sad:

 

[Wezzel]

I can't beat a double bed but I have dialed 999 twice in the past to report, firstly, a large tarpaulin on lane 2, and then, a full sized ladder on lane 3 of the M3 near Sunbury!

 

[Silver Arrow]

Came across a wheel and indespension unit the other day, it was doing about 70+ across the lanes, bounced off the centre divider and went back again. Interesting plotting the trajectory to avoid intersection.

 

[mike65]

Its the single shoe that always intrigues me!

Mike.

 

[sporty]

FERNAR- What sort of merc have you got? i'm the same as you regarding stone chips, i notice them everytime i wash my clk430 and it ****es me off!

 

[fernar]

MB 320CDI - in Green Black. So if I dont touch up the chips the little white 'spots' show.

 

[996jimbo]

Stones? Pah...

Whilst heading up the M40 some while back I overtook a lorry. Glancing over as I passed I could have sworn that a pair of his wheels were coming towards me. I carried on past, checked my mirror and sure enough I was being chased by a ****** great pair of lorry wheels that had somehow detached themselves from the driveshaft! For quite a while the driver was oblivious to the problem.

The wheels (travelling at a fair old speed) gradually made their way towards the central reservation and fortunately bounced back off the Armco and finally ended up in the hard shoulder of the carriageway. All the traffic backed up behind them as the wheels gracefully progressed up the motorway with no-one daring to try and overtake incase they veered over.

 

[SLinKyjoe]

what annoys me on the motorways are all them other cars...i have paid for my road and i dont recall letting others use it. you dont come round and watch my tv do you? altho you are all welcome to.

 

[peterchurch]

Crap on the road is a big problem when I bought my SL the first thing I did was take it to have the bonnet resprayed, and its going to need doing again by the end of summer

 

[GlynC]

Drives me mad too
Some total t*sser in a large white truck sat in the outside lane with his wheels just catching the stones outside the lines ... left me with a couple of nice chips to touch up this weekend!

Front is staring to look like its been hit by a shotgun blast!

 

[robbi-wan]

One rainy november evening (rush hour/dark) i encountered a rear wheel lying in the middle of a sliproad i was trying to drive down!!
The wheel in question (as it transpired) belonged to the scaffolding lorry parked further down the sliproad - i know this 'cause it had a wheel missing.
Didnt manage to miss it tho......

 

[byrney]

What about those dreaded wheel trims?

I can recall once, travelling about 70mph along a dual carriageway when the wheel trim came of the car in front and was heading towards my windscreen. There was nothing more I could do other than duck down behind the steering wheel and hope!........lucky that it hit the bonnet, and bonced onto the roof, leaving me with two nice dents. I felt like chasing the driver to give him a few choice words......but is it worth it?

Please will all drivers with wheel trims tie them on!!!!

 

[Myros]

do I win

M56 12 years ago, 70mph in the middle lane, just pulling level with a low lowloader carrying fork lift trucks, just being overtaken by someone else in the outside lane, when a railway sleeper falls off the lowloader and lands 5m in front of me, travelling at 60mph. See if you can guess how far through my life story I got before drove over it with all four wheels. See if you can picture the look of concentration on my face. See if you can guess how many cigs and deep breaths it took me to regain my ice-cool composure while I checked my tyres and underneath on the hard shoulder.

 

[robbi-wan]

How long before underpants recovered?

 

[Myros]

I didn't have time

to suffer any failure of the sphincter control unit. It took about 20 mins for my hands and legs to stop shaking though. Took his number and reported him to the plods. nothing. I don't even know if they picked the railway sleeper up. Still, I mustn't grumble, half a second quicker off the mark from me and I'd have been wearing a wooden hat.