What would you do?

[katata1100]

This reminded me of that show on tv.
Yesterday, my I took the family in the '03 Jetta TDI to Humboldt County to see redwoods and sample microbrew. We were on the old 101 (winds through old growth redwoods) and came to a construction area with a flagger- we had to park and wait for ten minutes before being able to proceed.
In front of us was a late model sport bike with rider wearing a nice looking full suit and nice Arai helmet. Bike was in nice shape, aftermarket exhaust. But the rear tire...
The rear tire had a little patch of steel belt showing. Should I have gotten out and told the guy? Family said yes, i said he'd probably tell me to mind own business.
So we waited and just stared at the little silver dollar size patch of steel belt.
When we started moving, it turned out that the patch was the best part of the tire- as it rotated, we saw 5" strips of steel rotate around. If I was a cop, I'd pull him over- it was that obvious.
What would you do?

[Nosmo]

I'd do nothing. 

Several times I have honked my horn on the freeway to get peoples' attention to tell them they have flat tires or other things wrong with their vehicles. Every time they have flipped me off or ignored me.  Once I was sitting behind and to the left of a small car in a traffic jam when flames started shooting out from the bottom of the car, like a fuel line fire.  I GOT OUT OF MY CAR, and ran up and tapped on his window, and yelled "Your car is on fire!!"  He yelled back, "F*** You!" I got back in my car, and about a minute later his car was filled with smoke, he pulled over to the shoulder and got out and danced around as it was engulfed, as I slowly drove past it, so I honked and yelled, "HEY...F*** YOU!"

I was on the Connie a few years ago coming down from Snoqualmie Pass here in Washington, and I caught up to a pickup truck pulling a big flatbed trailer with some equipment on it.  He had a lot of smoke coming from his right rear tire, and he did not see it.  I pulled up even to his drivers' door, and yelled and pointed, trying to let him know he had a brake fire going on, and he gave me the finger and accelerated away, downhill.  A couple of miles down the road, there he was pulled over on the shoulder with a flaming tire.

I few years ago I called a home owner who has a summer cabin across the road from me, but lives in the city, to let him know he had a broken fan on his cabin's heat pump and it was rapidly destroying itself.  I was told to mind my own business, that I had no business "Messing with his property", and he hung up on me.  The heat pump lasted another few hours until it seized up and quit.

I'm sort of sorry to have this attitude, but too many times I've tried to help people or tell them that something was wrong and gotten crap for it.  I'd figure he didn't trash that tire during the present ride, he probably left home with it that way, so he willingly took the risk.

[Miss Silvera]

If there was ample time, I would have gone up and made small talk, and acted like I was looking his bike over and then said in a way of, WOW!  Look friend, your tire is ...well shredding....

The thing there is.....if he goes down due to a bad tire....he could injure others...maybe even you.....

Maybe he was aware of it???maybe not..(I doubt as the way you describe it would be hard to miss)

Let me pose it this way...if that had been a log truck with a loose chain over the load...would you try to tell the driver?  Even though he may "shoot the bird" or yell profane utterances towards you?   I would try........

We ALL as licensed drivers of whatever, have a responsibility to ourselves and to others......NO where in that license does it say, "Ignore other drivers and their irresponsible actions"

JM2CW

[Conrad]

I myself would have walked up to the guy and told him about the tire. If he told you fu*k off then that's on him. At least you tried to do something to help out.

If I see someone with a low tire or no brake lights, I always try to inform the driver about the issue. I've never had anyone tell me where to go because of me trying to help them.

[SANDPSYCHO]

I do a lot of towing and have had people point out problems that I couldn't see. The worst one I had was one guy tell me I had a trailer tire on fire. Turned out the bearing had gone out and was smoking. If I hadn't been told about it I probably would have noticed it until the tire came off. 

I have been thankful for the heads ups I've gotten, so please keep it up and remember for those that give you the finger for your efforts Karma will take care of them as Nosmo has pointed out.

[ZG]

Once I was sitting behind and to the left of a small car in a traffic jam when flames started shooting out from the bottom of the car, like a fuel line fire.  I GOT OUT OF MY CAR, and ran up and tapped on his window, and yelled "Your car is on fire!!"  He yelled back, "F*** You!" I got back in my car, and about a minute later his car was filled with smoke, he pulled over to the shoulder and got out and danced around as it was engulfed, as I slowly drove past it, so I honked and yelled, "HEY...F*** YOU!"

 

[stevewfl]

I do a lot of towing and have had people point out problems that I couldn't see. The worst one I had was one guy tell me I had a trailer tire on fire. Turned out the bearing had gone out and was smoking. If I hadn't been told about it I probably would have noticed it until the tire came off. 

I have been thankful for the heads ups I've gotten, so please keep it up and remember for those that give you the finger for your efforts Karma will take care of them as Nosmo has pointed out.

^^^^^^epic!

[Cuda]

A month ago a young punk cuts me off as I stop at a red light , I look at his bike steel poping out of his bald tire , 1/2 the plastic scraped off his bike (ouch) but he did have a helmet  on so I was impressed, and he was wearing a bike vest, I don't get these bike vests just what are they protecting

[Leo]

I have had a couple jerks reply negatively when I tried to warn them, I have also helped a few.  A car carrier guy had a broken chain on the upper deck and the car was bouncing pretty bad with the chain beating up a car on the lower deck, he said thanks.  I saw a truck with a failed rear wheel bearing in flames pull up to the gas pumps, I told him to get away from the pumps and grabbed the stations fire extingusher.  That guy was glad for the help.  I always figure if I tried, my moral responsiblity is satisfied.  IF the guy rejects my help, the consequences of his decision rests on him. 

[Leo]

" I don't get these bike vests just what are they protecting "

Those who wear vests (that generally display club affiliation) feel that a leather vests helps protect against puncture wounds to vital organs, during a wreck or off the bike.