Attack of Road Debris

It seems like anything and everything on the road tries to hit my windshield. Cars will inadvertently pick up pebbles and other assorted debris on the road and toss it right at my car. If I see it coming I'll usually do the duck-your-head-and-close-your-eyes reflex, and then... *whack*. Usually there's no permanent mark, but occasionally a gravel truck will drop a few good hunks of rock and I'll watch them bounce off the roadway and directly into the glass - leaving a nice new divot to my battle-scarred windshield.

Well, last night introduced a whole new type of ammunition - chunks of blown-out truck tire. Driving home from work I'm about to take an exit to get on the tollway when I suddenly notice a big black something rise from what looks to be the back of the car 70 feet in front of me. I watch as it arches 15 feet into the air, and I can see the impending impact with whatever it is.

My reflex kicks in, and then... *whump*. Not the usual sound a rock makes, but much louder. When I open my eyes and look out the windshield there's a nice black smudge right in my view. I could tell it was a hunk of tire 'cause I could see the tread marks imprinted onto the windshield.

I made it home just fine and was able to clean it off with some windex without a trace. No marks. No cracks. No divots. This morning, though, I was a little too aware of bits of debris being kicked up by other cars. I'm hoping my senses will go back to normal mode for the drive home tonight.

In other news, I think I've decided where we're going for our honeymoon... ;-)

Posted by Austin at February 06, 2003 03:22 PM