Pickup and Toy Hauler Take the "Leap of Faith"

Here's one of those things you always hear about, but very few have actually seen happen.

It was at precisely 2:05 pm today when I saw it. As it unfolded in front of me, I said to myself, no - it couldn't be.

It was a newer tan GMC Yukon. It was tooling down the 405 freeway SB near the Santa Monica Blvd in the number 2 lane, or the lane directly to the right of the fast lane. It was towing a pretty big enclosed motorcycle trailer, or what most people know as a "toy hauler". The truck/trailer combo was traveling pretty much with the flow of traffic. The guy driving the combo wasn't driving fast, weaving in/out of traffic or otherwise being a nuisance. No, this guy's problem was instigated by a slight oversight on his part, even before he pulled out of his driveway that morning.

The 405 freeway is known for it's choppy characteristic when driving on the 50 year old concrete square panels laid end to end to create most of the massive black ribbon that is the 405. The panel cause a constant modulation effect that travels from the road itself, up through a vehicle's tires, suspension and chassis until it reaches the driver's bones, which get rattled to high Heaven. This constant pulsing effect can cause another effect as well.. a much more destructive effect.

As I passed the truck/trailer, I noticed the front of the trailer was bumping up and down much more than the rear of the truck it was supposed to be attached to. Just as I glanced over, I saw the tongue of the trailer pop off it's hitch. It bobbed up and down 2-3 times before it finally hit the road and threw off a shower of sparks. The safety chain was doing it's job, but it didn't keep the trailer to yaw back and forth as the truck driver tried to quickly pull over to the side of the road. As I passed him and continued on, I saw him signalling and merging to the right as fast as possible.

Lesson to the world; It doesn't take a Highway A-hole to forget to tighten down your trailer ball hitch before leaving on a Memorial Day Weekend vacation at Glamis.

AUGUST 31, 2007 @ 2:42 pm – SB 405 Fwy at Cherry Ave Exit Ramp in Long Beach.

Damn it's been hot here in the LA area. For the most part, the Highway A-holes have been keeping to themselves. I'd like to think that all LA drivers read this blog and think more than twice when they are about to make stupid decisions.

But this heat wave is finally starting to take a toll on drivers. Today on the SB 405 at the Cherry Ave off-ramp collector, there were not one but two A-holes.

One car, a 2006 Chevy HHR mini SUV, was driving very slowly - like 5 MPH or less, in the right lane as the Cherry Ave collector started. I wasn't getting off the freeway, so I was in the second lane from the right driving a respectable 55 MPH in the early Holiday get-outta-town traffic, but just as I approached the collector lane where the HHR was, traffic slowed down abruptly to about 10 MPH.

As I was passing the even slower HHR, I heard a loud truck horn blast next to me. There was a massive off-yellow and orange-brown cement truck with western motif graphics painted on its mixer drum and cab doors right up to the bumper of the HHR. When the driver of the HHR heard the horn, the woman driving stopped her HHR cold in the middle of the collector with no trafic ahead of her. As I continued past I caught a glimpse of her staring in her rear view mirror back at the cement mixer truck while she was at a total stand still.

As I continued on, she continued to remain steadfast in her position. I don't believe she had any mechanical problems (even though she was driving a Chevy, but I digress) but I think she was just pissed someone had the nerve to honk at her, or she was trying to back off the collector to get back on the freeway... an even more bonehead to try as a Highway A-hole.

Then HHR's potential mechanical issues I really can't speak to, but if her problem was that she took the wrong off-ramp, her problem would have been solved if she would have just continued on the collector and followed the signs to re-join the freeway 100 yards ahead.

That's what the signs that read "Thru Traffic OK" mean you Highway A-hole.

And dude driving the cement mixer, get a grip already... according to your dispatcher's desk (yes, I called), you get paid by the hour. You should thank Ms. HHR for putting another $3 in your pocket.