The Nail in the Road Theory

Only a few short months ago I learned I had a slow leak in one of my car's tires. I used the usual tire fix in a can, but it only held a few days. When I took it in to have the tire fixed ($10) we discovered there was a nail in the tread.

In the old days, I would have ranted about drug addled, crazy teenagers driving around and throwing out nails and screws—along with empty beer bottles. However, except for the last item, I have come to realize they are not to blame.

It's carpenters, construction workers, handymen, etc.

Here's how all those screws, nails and bolts end up in the street—and eventually in our tires. All those handymen and such drive around in pickup trucks, both for the job and to impress the females. Most Don’t drive the high-end trucks with all the fancy accouterments. They drive old beaters with dents, cracks and chipped paint. 

So, at the end of the day, they don't have an expensive, lockable storage compartment in which to throw their tools and equipment. They just toss the stuff into the bed and drive on.  This includes boxes of nails and screws. 

These boxes are probably closed and lain next to the man's other gear with little thought about repercussions and consequences. So, as he's driving along he hits a pothole. Everything in the bed raises an inch in the air and lands back down in it’s previous spot with nothing more than a loud bang. However, the lid of the nail box has loosened. 

On the next bump, the lid flies open. The next bump sees one or two nails fly out onto the bed. Then driving over rough pavement, not even a pothole, the vibration carries the nails down the length of the bed. They will then find a hole in the bed, either a natural one designed to let water out, or one from rust and wear. If there are no holes, the nails make it down to the end of the bed to the tailgate.  Normally, they’d be stopped by it, but it's an old truck and the fit isn’t as tight as in the early years.

In the end, the nails, screws or whatever find their way out of an opening and down onto the street. Just waiting for the next driver to come along and pick them up. In their tires.

And so that is the way all those nails, tacks, screws and whatever find their way onto our roads. Not because of some crazed youth out for a night of adventure. No, they are there thanks to that handyman you hired to fix some problem in your home. 

Remember this the next time you pass one of those old pickups. Be sure and shake your fist and cuss them out for all the mayhem (and cost) they've brought to your life. I'm sure they'll understand.

My Dad warning me not to ever put nails in the back of my Datsun pickup.