Silly car tire has a mind of its own

Originally published at: Silly car tire has a mind of its own | Boing Boing

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Silly? Terrifying more like. That Jersey Barrier really saved the day, keeping the wheels from crossing the central reservation.

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Usual pedantic disclaimer: That isnt a tire! Its a set of wheels! I’m terribly disappointed in BoingBoing!!!

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I’ve seen this movie.
tire GIF

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I often marvel at the simple modern technologies on highways and imagine how many lives they must have saved; rumble strips, reflective lane markers, breakaway signposts. Even road surface blends are far better than when I was a kid. And that’s not even counting all of the safety features of modern cars like side curtain airbags and lane departure warnings. I fantasize sometimes about buying a classic boat car like I used to drive, but then I think about how anxious I’d be, especially if my kids were on board. These are the days of miracle and wonder.

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Don’t cry, baby, don’t cry.

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Yah I’m not sure people appreciate how dangerous that situation is. There is an immense amount of energy in a loose bouncing car wheel, and that is dually truck set. That assembly is around 300 lbs total, and if it’s moving at 50 or 60mph, you don’t want to be anywhere near it. It’s basically a flying grenade.

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Methinks the driver was far too close for safety.
A bad bounce, and the wheel might have stopped surprisingly abruptly, and who knows where in the lane.

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Right near the end there was a biker stopped on the shoulder, and the wheel was nearly at them before it veered away. What a close call for them.

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That Jersey Barrier really saved the day

Did you notice how whenever the tire hit the barrier, it was redirected away from it back into the lane?

That’s how they were designed to work - deflect any cars that hit them back into the roadway.

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Blasts, as well. That’s why they’re ubiquitous in war zones as well as around vulnerable infrastructure now.

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I’m pretty sure that guy at the end is taking a dump on the side of the road. He’s the lucky one. Imagine taking a poop on the side of the road and getting killed by a tire.

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Interesting display of the combination of the conservation of angular momentum and inertia at work to keep that thing moving forward.

I’m glad no one got hurt, that could have really ruined some days.

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Run, run as fast as you can,
You can’t catch me,
I’m the Michelin Man!

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Gaging by some of the signage, that is a long slow downhill (uses curves to slow traffic). The tire will likely keep rolling until it falls over.

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That said, and all of it true: how many people still die due to accidents with cars and trucks?

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Some say the wheel rolls still.

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Ah yes. “Rubber,” a cult classic.

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PREVIOUSLY ON BOING BOING

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His final thoughts: “The fortune teller was right!”

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