Expensive rock damage...

I can sympathize as I've had the same thing happen to me, but on my former car. Smack - a rock up from the tire of a truck took out my windshield. Luckily, my insurance covered it as I have something called "glass coverage". Too bad the OBD (on board diagnostics) system did throw out a warning on the dash of "Low refrigerant" so you'd have know something else was wrong. My old SLS had codes and messages like that displayed on the dash. I guess Toyota took the cheap way out. Had you gotten a warning message or code, you could have included that in the insurance claim.

 

I'm not trying to say it was your fault or anything. I work in construction and just wanted to add my thoughts.

1. The groves in the big trucks tires will pick up rocks from the road the fling them backwards( this is the reason alot of times they are not at fault). Also I have seen a large baseball size stone get stuck between the two tires on the back of the truck. If you see this stop cause if you are to close when the truck picks up speed it can kill you.

2 If loose gravel or stones are falling out of the bed of the trucks or off the frame, or on other parts that may have picked up on a job site, they tend to fall off the truck then bounce a few times. Leaving a 4+ second following distace will prevent any major damage.

3. Just don't stay behind them, or if you can stay back untill you can pass.

4. If you do see a truck and stuff is falling out of it, call the company the the truck belongs to. Call the contractor that is running the job, tell them your going to call the local news about how there truck drivers are careless and not cleaning off their trucks before leaving the jobsite, I'd bet they will be out there with little brooms shortly after. Call the local road and highway division and tell them about it.

Most companies tell there drivers to always clean off any lose dirt/rocks/ashpault before returning the road.

 

Or, depending on your state, skip the local news and call the State Patrol. Here, that stuff falling off is an unsecured load, a ticketable offense. And since some high profile fatalities and a very serious maiming, it is now a potential criminal offense.

 

Right. I would think most states are the same.

If people start calling i would think things will improve. I never have drove a truck, but if i did i would do the best job i could to prevent damage to others.

 

wow i thougt things are bad in greece! we got similar problems on the greek throughways with opend top trucks that carry peble and queri stones that are used for mixing cement! we have no comercial roadways 2 weeks ago had to change lanes radicaly to avoid stone flying out the back of one! the passsenger needles to say wet her self but i saved my car! i was thinking i wish i was back in the states where thing like that dont hapen!:frusty::doh::drama::tape::ballchain::tea:

 

Headlight shields and paint protection film are a wise investment. Not allowing yourself to follow a gravel truck or a concrete mobile style cement mixer always makes sense. If you live where they salt and sand roads, stay home when they have the road sanders out, or just stay away from them.

 

I was driving on the highway yesterday and a semitruck's tire burst throwing all that garbage behind it, fortunately I was in the lane adjacent to it, but it was flinging debris all over the place.

 

I too sympathize. On the way to trading in my old car, a rock damaged the windshield requiring me to replace it. The windshields on my cars are full of dozens of nicks, not to mention the cars themselves. It amazes me how far back behind a truck I actually am when a rock or stone smashes into me like a bullet. In fact, I've been as much as 300 feet or more behind the offending vehicle .

Thus far, I have no solutions(s) .