Was walking out from the main entrance of Edinburgh's Botanical Garden this afternoon, and noticed a parked car. Metallic grey estate car, maybe a Stilo, kiddie seat in the back, UK plates.
Both front tyres were insanely worn - wires showing all around the outer edge (rears were legal but not great).
I didn't have a pen so I went into the Garden reception and nabbed some paper and wrote "Your front tyres are about to Explode!!" on it and popped it under the driver's wiper.
In retrospect I wonder if I should have given plod a heads-up as I reckon that has potential to be a crash - didn't take the number down so horses and bolted, etc.
Any comment?
Edit - in fact I wish I'd taken photos now to post :-)
Last edited by: Lygonos on Fri 11 Oct 13 at 21:30
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>> Any comment?
Tchah! Life's too short to spend your time dobbing in people with dodgy motors. Anyway the fuzz will jut say Yeah yeah and do nothing, or worse still come down like a ton of bricks on some poor soandso who is saving up for some new tyres so he canmimse to work and back without being paranoid about that particular thing.
Dodgy motors are everywhere. Even yours and mine.
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mymichelin.co.uk/sites/default/files/38/worn%20tyres_0.jpg
That's pretty close apart from the tyres I saw still had a smattering of rubber over the centre of the tread.
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I think you probably played it right. Some people are dim enough not to have noticed their own tyres and at least if that was the simple case maybe they'll do something about it straightaway.
I used to like wandering through the Botanic Gardens. The hothouse used to have Koi carp in the pond as I recall.
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Went to Edinburgh zoo once with friends living in Kirkliston.
I recall some old Trojan vans being used as stationary ice cream vans......are they still there or have they been sold to enthusiasts ?
Ted
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>> old Trojan vans
Those were really really weird. Some sort of 2-stroke, one big cylinder and one small one, side by side.
They were pretty slow. I knew very well a girl who had one. She wouldn't let me drive it. Afraid I would crash it for God's sake. Idiot.
But I liked her quite a lot back then.
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"The hothouse used to have Koi carp in the pond as I recall."
Koi carp were reported in a newspaper as 'coy carp' the other day. Hiding under the water-lilies presumably.
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But look, listen: does anyone think it's worth sneaking on someone for having worn tyres? Perhaps it's the right thing to do. But only a nutter or PITA would do it.
I don't mean you obviously Lygonos. But you probably know what I mean.
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Absolutely AC, but I have a real concern that this family vehicle isn't just a little dodgy but at risk of imminent failure of one/both front tyres.
And failure is most likely to occur either at high speed or when braking/cornering.
If someone was regularly driving like an anus up and down my street I'd call the cops - having gash tyres is not much different in the danger stakes.
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>> most likely to occur either at high speed or when braking/cornering.
Most people never drive at anything like high speed. So they don't brake or corner hard either. Your geezer almost certainly drives with all his tyres too soft. Most crap drivers do.
When one of them gives way he will cruise in to the verge and change the wheel. That's what they usually do, unless they want to get on youtube making showers of sparks.
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>> I think you probably played it right. Some people are dim enough not to have
>> noticed their own tyres and at least if that was the simple case maybe they'll
>> do something about it straightaway.
Ignore it, none of my business, no-one is being raped or beaten up, my intervention* would be of no use so I wouldn't bother.
>> I used to like wandering through the Botanic Gardens. The hothouse used to have Koi
>> carp in the pond as I recall.
Took my young (5?) son to some botanical gardens or other, Kew I think it was. They had some lovely Koi swimming around. I was admiring some tropical plant or other for a moment, and turned round to se my son had a large Koi in his hand, the Kois eyes bulging in tune with his ever tightening grip. I prised it from his chubby kids fingers and dropped it back in the water whence it swam away, in a slightly lop sided manner.
We left the gardens shortly after.
* I would, and have, get involved if someone was in danger or being threatened.
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>>Any comment?<<
Yes, I would have made the decision that it was none of my business and walked swiftly on.
Had I have come back to my car and seen someone writing a note like that I would have screwed it up and thrown it at you.
Before you say what if............
Everything has the 'potential' to cause problems of some sort but the facts are that it hasn't at that moment in time.
Why do people think they have a right to interfere these days?
Pat
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Conversely why do so many people think the rules, in this case sensible ones designed to protect everybody not just the rule breaker, only apply to everybody else?
I'd expect to be told to F off if I told somebody they have illegal tyres but that's because so many are just morons and/or don't like their defects being pointed out. I wouldn't report them but I can't fault the note.
Actually I would have been grateful if somebody had written me one a few years ago. Some badly made speed cushions were put on about a mile of busy road I used every day. A few months later I discovered that my tyres had about 4mm of tread across most of the width, with wires visible on the inside edges.
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>> >> Why do people think they have a right to interfere these days?
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>> Pat
>>
At which level of lawbreaking would you consider it "right to interfere"?
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Is it reporting a law breaker or showing concern for the safety of someone (unknown) and their children who might not be aware of the dangerous tyres on their car?
A helpful prompt in a "did you know your flies are undone" sort of way?
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WHAT WOULD YOU DO if a man in a car with smooth front tyres killed all your family?
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>> WHAT WOULD YOU DO if a man in a car with smooth front tyres killed
>> all your family?
Such a man in a Marina did actually go straight on at a left hander in 1978 and wrote off my lovely Hunter GLS, and almost me with it. And they were BALD. Used to be a lot more of those then.
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Did the right thing by offering a bit of friendly advice I think, but that's as far as it goes. Informing the police would be way way too far. Snitching on fellow citizens for minor mis-demeanors is a worrying trend which smacks of police state and Nazi Germany to be honest. But it seems a growing trend in this not-so-nice country of ours. I was flamed on another forum for disagreeing with someone who had dobbed their neighbour into the police for an expired tax disc!!!
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>>
At which level of lawbreaking would you consider it "right to interfere"?<<
When it has affected me personally because then it becomes my business.
Pat
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>> >>
>> At which level of lawbreaking would you consider it "right to interfere"?<<
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>> When it has affected me personally because then it becomes my business.
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>> Pat
I was no fan of hers, but Margaret Thatcher was wilfully misconstrued when she said that there was no such thing as society. It is you and me and everybody else is what she actually said, as the knockers knew very well.
There is a difference between being an interfering busybody and being a responsible citizen.
I wouldn't dob anybody in for an overdue tax disc, but I'd give them a friendly reminder. And if they told me to mind my own business I'd give them a month's grace, then give it some consideration.
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...........There is a difference between being an interfering busybody and being a responsible citizen. ...
That sums it up nicely for me.
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>>Had I have come back to my car and seen someone writing a note like that I would have screwed it up and thrown it at you
And that would clinch the decision to call plod.
Presumably if all the 'walk-on-byers' saw someone staggering out of a pub, pee at the side of the road, get into their car and drive off sideways up the road they'd equally ignore it.
Gotta love thoe berks who preach instilling civic duty into the next generation but then act like the idiots they don't want their kids to become.
Last edited by: Lygonos on Sat 12 Oct 13 at 08:54
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I actually did this one - the fact that the car was in a Police Station car-park and owned by a smug, obnoxious little detective pushed me over the edge. one of the tyres on his Subaru Forester was down to the bone. I think the note read something like "look at your tyres before someone else does" - people like this kill innocents. Not done it before nor since, it just got to me that day.
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>>Presumably if all the 'walk-on-byers' saw someone staggering out of a pub, pee at the side of the road, get into their car and drive off sideways up the road they'd equally ignore it.
Gotta love those berks who preach instilling civic duty into the next generation but then act like the idiots they don't want their kids to become.
+ 10,0001
And people wonder why I live up here! (Father forgive them - they know not what they do)
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"Why do people think they have a right to interfere these days?"
Because they sometimes do and should.
I can think of many instances where much misery would have been prevented if only someone had "interfered". It's all a matter of degree of course but the idea that we should all walk by ignoring what goes on about us because it "is nothing to do with us:" is a deeply dangerous one.
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>>It's all a matter of degree of course
Absolutely - Baz mentions a tax disc infraction above - that by itself wouldn't excite me any more than a car parked on a double yellow (ie. not at all) - but it might tempt me to see it was also insured on askmid... :-)
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Is that when your tax disc has a heart attack (poor quality medical word play joke)
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>> (poor quality medical word play
>> joke)
Very.
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Ok well, here's an actual example of something similar. A few years ago I'd arranged to meet a colleague at a motorway services to hand over a package he urgently needed. He was driving a new-ish company car and as he pulled into a space facing me in the car park I couldn't help noticing that the inside edges of his front tyres were white. on closer inspection they were actually down to the canvas despite the outside areas of both tyres still having plenty of visible tread. ( presumably a tracking issue )
He'd just come up the M6 to meet me and was about to head back south on a 160 mile motorway trip back to London.
He had no idea his tyres were so badly worn and when I mentioned it to him he was pretty shocked and went straight to a tyre fitters to have them changed.
He is absolutely not a "car person" and admitted that he never checked such things relying on being told when his cars were in for sevices if anything required attention.
Those of us who take an interest in our cars may find this astonishing but its not an uncommon scenario.
Should I have not mentioned it for fear of "interfering" or did I do him a favour?
I think the answer is clear enough in my mind.
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I pointed out to someone where I work that one of their front tyres was absolutely smooth;he said "thanks-its going in for a service at the end of the month(three weeks away)-they.ll do it then".
Tax discs don't kill people-smooth tyres do!
Last edited by: jc2 on Sat 12 Oct 13 at 10:18
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>> I pointed out to someone where I work that one of their front tyres was absolutely smooth;he said "thanks-its going in for a service at the end of the month(three weeks away)-they.ll do it then".
We often get people booking their cars in for 'a flashing light on the dash'
Almost always turns out to the the traction control light - new tyres fix that problem.
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>> We often get people booking their cars in for 'a flashing light on the dash'
>> Almost always turns out to the the traction control light - new tyres fix that
>> problem.
At least they booked it in, even if they could have read the Manuel. I know several who will ignore any number of lights until it stops.
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If the opportunity presents itself I'd always try to take the opportunity to ask 'did you know' or 'have you seen' and as long as you do so politely and without being patronising, most people accept what you are saying.
I just wish I'd had the opportunity to tell the driver of the Renault Clio in front of me in fog on the Woodhead Pass this morning that the combination of silver grey car and seriously tinted rear lights were more effective than Harry Potter's cloak of invisibilty :-)
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Bald tyres on a wet road are such a significant problem that those of you who state a non interventionist approach should be the norm...should hang your heads in shame.
At least by telling someone you have half a chance of the unknowing sorting it out or the knowing being shamed into doing something.
There are plenty of laws etc that you could easily argue are for the individual's concern and law enforcement only...and plenty of others where some general intervention would be handy.
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I had my chance today - a brainless drone overtook me on the bike in his 4x4 towing a trailer with two dirt bikes. Wouldn't have minded but I was in lane 1 doing about 75 when he did it. Pulled in front of me and subjected me and my bike to some nasty turbulence, despite being on a very quiet dual, he turned off at the same slip road as me I was going right he left, I noticed that his light board wasn't working....so I helpfully pointed it out to him....in my own way
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So do we blame 4x4 drivers or bikers for that bit of stupidity;)
Trailer limited to 60 anyway of course.
Turbulence can be troublesome. I'm wary when dragging the shed. Car transporters are the worst for some reason.
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I'm having a flashback :( When I was about to embark on my 'born again, biking career I took out a Sprint and was pulling away from some lights on a dual carriageway. A Range Rover towing a large trailer crossed from the nearside lane into my path causing me to brake and loose control. I ended up on the floor with some gravel rash and a bruised ego. Oh and the dealers were not too impressed with the condition of the bike when I took it back. Range Rover failed to stop. Put the 'born again' bit on hold for a few years as this reinforced my vulnerability but eventually succumbed.
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I'm wary when dragging the shed. Car transporters are the worst for some reason.
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That doesn't surprise me and most skilled drivers realise this and pass by considerately, the air funnelled through and around the load, which is seldom the same twice, would be interesting to see in a wind tunnel, empty i expect they offer no problem at all.
Certainly whilst unlikely to be pushed over in cross winds due to the weight (21/22tons empty) they are badly affected by gusting winds, the inherant instability of the common design (short tractor long drag, not a semi trailer design) can exacebate the problem creating a sort of pendulum effect a bit too easily for comfort...its this pendulum effect that worsens the chances of a rollover especially (exactly as with car towing a shed) there is not enough weight imposed on the towing vehicle or the weight distribution is concentrated towards the back.
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I had similar to the OP incident on Friday just gone. In my children's school car park a 59 plate Jag XF, abandoned with its front wheels poking out at full lock. As I passed close by I could see the inside edges of the front tyres were down to the canvas. A quick peek inside the car also told me the driver wasn't at all bothered about looking after the vehicle - biro ink stains on the cream leather seats, an absolute bomb site.
I wrote a note mentioning the tyres and stuck it under the wiper. I'll keep my eye out for the car and see if it's had the tyres sorted, if not I'll wait around for the parent in question and have a word face to face.
I often see vehicles with heavily worn/illegal tyres in that school car park - usually large 4x4s with massive wheels and rubber band tyres, almost always being piloted by Mummy. I could strangle the selfish non-entities. Massive car to protect Quentin and Phoebe, drive it round on slicks risking death to all those around them, safe in the knowledge that they'll come off best in a collision.
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What would you do? 2 - Armel Coussine
