Moving?? Secure your mattresses!!!

If you are thinking of moving, and doing it yourself, by all means, secure your mattresses and box springs. The damage they can do is unimaginable. I have seen the damage a box springs can do to an 18 wheeler.
The occurance was in El Paso Texas several years ago. Mike and  I were at the El Paso terminal waiting for a load when one of our drivers came in, his truck on a wrecker. The driveline, normally a 3-4" tubular line from the engine to the transmission was about 3' around. A car with a mattress and box spring did not have them securly tied to the roof of the car. The box spring fell off in heavy traffic and the truck driver was unable to avoid hitting it. The chioices were, hit the mattress or hit another vehicle. The driver hit the box spring. It flipped up a bit and a part of the wire caught the driveline and in a matter of seconds, it was completely wrapped aound the driveline. The truck came to a screeching stop and the driver had little control over it.
The reason I mention this topic today is that on a short trip from Irving, TX to Houston, TX and back, I saw 4 mattresses on the highway. 2 in 2 seperate locations and 2 more in one spot with an SUV and a police officer standing there looking at them. This took place  in the Houston proper area, you know, where there are 5 lanes going in each direction. On a Saturday afternoon, the traffic was pretty heavy and moving at a pretty good clip. Fortunately, there were no accidents associated with any of these mattresses today.
Most people have no idea what kind of room is necessary for an 18 wheeler to manouver around a road hazard like a mattress or piece of furniture or just about anything. With far too many people driving distracted, there are more accidents that are the result of one vehicle dodging and another not paying attention.
Distracted driving, drunk driving, poorly maintained vehicles and areas of failing infrastructure like bridges and roads are all culprits an attentive driver must be aware of. I am a bit prideful of the good driving record I have attained. It seems though that each passing day presents more things to watch out for. I will be very glad when I do not have to drive to maintain my lifestyle. I doubt that I will be ever to ever let my guard down and hope that I will always be alert enough to avoid any mishaps on the road while in my personal vehicle or motorcycle.
An image from the internet of a mattress wrapped around a driveline. A rats nest of wires wrapped very tightly.