I can’t help but think that if I saw someone do this, I wouldn’t be able to supress laughing at the situation. I mean, they put all these signs around the area, you’d have to be nuts to do it.
I haven’t, but damn if I wouldn’t laugh my ass off at the person doing it.
I’ve seen it happen once. This was many years ago, so my memory of it has certainly faded a bit. The person who did it seemed unaware that it was an exit. Just ran over it like it wasn’t even there. I stood there more bewildered than amused.
I have. It’s not as funny as you might think.
In this case, the exit was very narrow and you had to execute a turn as you were passing over the spikes. (The spikes were presumably added some time after the exit was designed and built). Someone who hadn’t used that exit before drove through it in large station wagon, realized she wasn’t going to clear the turn without scraping the side of car, and backed up. Pop goes a tire. Eventually she had at least three flat tires, and that exit from the parking lot was completely blocked by her car, so no one could get out that exit.
And I’ve known a few people who have insisted that those spikes wouldn’t really pop a tire, anyway. :rolleyes:
My boyfriend and I were leaving a drive-in one night. We were just passing over the spikes when his car stalled. The spikes managed to catch one tire just enough to give it a slow leak. About a quarter mile down the road, we had to pull over and get the spare tire out.
Temple University
1991
Woman
Brand spankin’ new Mercedes
Three tires -pssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss
“My husband is gonna kill me!”
(Woulda been four, but she came in at a slight angle and realized her mistake w/ inches to spare the last tire.)
Oh, but it would. Trust me.
In the karmic justice of the world, it would be myself that would run over those damn things, with enusing laughter for the irony of the moment.
What goes around, comes around, so I know I would end up laughing at myself from something stupid.
I once saw a guy start driving away from the gas station with the gas pump hose still inserted in his car.
I was expecting a massive explosion that was going to obliterate me. Instead, the hose just disconnected and clattered to the ground.
I was disappointed. I wanted obliteration, dammit!
Those death spike thingies are scary. I don’t even like looking at them, lest they make my head explode.
I always thought a very cruel trick could be played on some company you don’t like by sneaking in one night and jamming or welding the spikes in the “up” position. Then watch the next moning as people drive into the lot!
(I know…I need help.)
I saw something similar a couple of months ago. One lady was driving off with the hose still in the tank. I tried to honk at her and get her to stop, but she kept going (while staring at me). The nozzle popped out of her tank and flew through the air, striking another woman who was filling up in the head!
I was expecting the hose to disconnect. Seeing that thing rebound like that was awful. Seeing it hit the other lady was sickening. She said she was ok, but I bet she had one heckuva headach.
She might have been staring at you because she wasn’t forgetful, but annoyed that you were drawing attention to her. There was an article a couple of months back on AOL news about how many people were stealing gas now that the price have gone so high and one station ownerlamented that it wasn’t the theft of gas was so bad, but that the people doing it often jumped into their cars and drove off with the hose still in the tank- and that was the expensive part of gas theft.
There was a radio commercial a while back which talked about the various ways to have a bad day, and one of them was “backing up to read the SEVERE TIRE DAMAGE sign”.
Was she related to this guy?
Now that prices have gone so high?
Petrol in the uk is approx. 81 pence ($1.38).
What is it in america?
I’m guessing quite a bit less.
I’ve never seen those tire piercing things in the UK.
I do remember seeing an episode of the Simpsons when Homer drove over them.
“D’oh, d’oh, d’oh, d’oh…D’OH!” 
…per what? Gas in America is in $ per gallon, and it’s been significantly higher than $1.38 per gallon for quite some time now.
But we Americans are entitled to cheap gas for our big hulking SUVs, dontcha know.
It is at not-quite-record highs. Believe it or not, it went up to around $2.21 for self-serve regular for awhile. Now it’s hovering at anywhere from $1.99 to 2.07 (per GALLON. I assume they sell it by the liter in the U.K.?)
Mind you, I live on Long Island, where the prices are a LOT higher than they are in some other parts of the country. Also, we’re just at the end of a three day holiday weekend, so prices have probably been jacked up for the past few days.
Dammit.
Sorry - petrol is approx. £0.81/$1.38 per litre in the UK.