Can’t Fix Stupid

I am constantly amazed by the carelessness of drivers around me and in this particular case, that carelessness gets upgraded into the realm of “can’t fix stupid”.

Since I have had some issues with my internet service provider’s billing, I decided to stop by one of their offices.  Yes, I tried the phone but they were reluctant to help.  I thought a face-to-face visit might solve the problem, but no.  I was greeted by a very friendly person, but that is as far as it went.  The experience was a complete waste of time because the person on the other side of the counter gave me her minimum-wage’s worth of help.  But, I digress.

Back to my story…

On the way out of the internet provider’s office I noticed this parked sad and lonely SUV with a flat right-rear tire.  What struck me as odd was the ring on the sidewall showing evidence of severe wear.  It is very obvious, this tire had traveled a long distance completely flat.  So much so, that the sidewall material is showing through the rubber on the sidewall.  Just imagine how hot this sidewall got too!

Cord exposed on the tire’s sidewall due to severe under inflation

I suppose I am overly sensitive to stuff like this because I am very particular about the care of my automobiles.  However, in today’s world there are so many people who ignore the basics of automotive care.  Are drivers so oblivious they don’t notice issues with their vehicles?

Flat or under inflated tires are prevalent these days.  I’ve witnessed on several occasions SUV’s (driven by millennial soccer moms) with kids in tow and yet the tires on these vehicles are either low on air or past their prime (sometimes both!).  Then, I can just hear the conversations blaming tire quality when catastrophic failures like the one pictured above happen.

Can’t fix stupid.

5 thoughts on “Can’t Fix Stupid

  1. Jakespeed

    As my 87 year old Daddy would say “They don’t know anything except how to ‘rip and run.'”

    I worked part time in a tire shop at the Sam’s Club in the metropolis on which I used to into daily. The Michelin training film we watched on severely under inflated tires told the engineering “what’s and whys” of what happens. The radial Steel Belt in the sidewall bends dramatically over where the tire touches the ground. Generating dramatic heat, the sidewall rubber overheats and “darkens.” In worse case scenarios, the steel wire’s belt fails, dramatically weakening the sidewall. On a truck tire, when this happens, a catastrophic “zipper” tear occurs without warning and the sidewall blows out.

    But, you’ve got me here: I’ve never seen the sidewall worn down to the cords before. This is past where Joie Chitwood’s stuns drivers would ever wear a tire’s sidewall!

    Reply
    1. bowtie6 Post author

      Thanks for the info! I sure wish that Michelin training video were made mandatory for any licensed driver out there. Then again, the majority would ignore it.

      Can’t fix stupid.

      Reply
  2. Michael Yount

    I’m beginning to think autonomous cars are a good idea. Not foolproof. But better than 90% of the drivers out there. An autonomous pilot would not have driven on that….

    Reply

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