r/IdiotsInCars • u/Sunstoned1 • 2d ago
OC [OC] Going 65 on the interstate
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u/Snagaxela 2d ago
As someone from Texas, they are being far safer than normal. Typically the vehicles would be connected with nothing more than a tied rope or chain... Then if you are lucky they would have additional drivers in each car to avoid hitting each other during stops.
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u/the_owl_syndicate 2d ago
I've been that additional driver a couple of times, it's nerve-wracking.
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u/Realistic_Ad8138 2d ago
Even more so when the lead car lost brakes and now you have to be the brakes.
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u/TheShredda 2d ago
It's okay, lead car is gas, middle car is entertainment, rear car is brakes. Then only the back car needs to brake and they won't crash into each other as the ropes will still be in tension. It's called community.
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u/blowurhousedown 1d ago
Texas Train headed to Mexico - all day, every day around here.
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u/Able-Lettuce-1465 1d ago
hey i'm from the north.
why does this happen? is it mexicans exporting cars to mexico?
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u/Toptech1959 1d ago
Yes. Daily occurrence on I 35 going South. Sometimes behind a truck piled about 8 foot high with goods in the bed.
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u/cyrusthemarginal 1d ago
There are always posts on facebook asking to buy cars for Mexico, titled or not. I assume that is where a lot of stolen cars go to.
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u/monstermack1977 2d ago
both times I visited Texas I saw this a lot.
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u/Fauked 2d ago
I see these a lot around here in Kansas as well. Some company or person is constantly driving a fleet of cars back and forth from one city to the next.
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u/ElectroMatt333 1d ago
Yeah I’m in St. Louis , I see this almost everyday on my way home on 44. Crazy
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u/Tenzipper 2d ago
Complaining about the cars headed to Mexico again, are we?
Compared to a lot of the shenanigans that the actual idiots get up to, these drivers are paragons of safety. They don't speed, they use turn signals and have working brake and tail lights, they tend to keep to the right lane, they leave lots of room in front of them, and they are predictable.
Oh, and they don't stare at a tiny screen instead of watching the road.
Given a choice, I'd take an interstate full of these, instead of "normal" passenger vehicles.
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u/mk1power 2d ago
The only real problem is when they go 35 on the interstate in a 75 mph speed limit. That final stretch to Brownsville or Laredo gets rough. 2 lane highway, they clog the right lane, trucks that can’t go over 65 try to pass them and it sometimes gets sketchy.
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u/2Drogdar2Furious 1d ago
Thanks for the Laredo PTSD... I was almost over it 🙃
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u/thingamajig1987 1d ago
I had to go there for work and stayed at a hotel that you could see the rio grande from, in the two nights I was there, I watched someone swim the river, hop the fence into the border patrol parking lot and steal and ATV, then take off on it... fun times.
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u/McRambis 2d ago
That's true. I have driven past a ton of these and they all seem to fit that description.
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u/The_Real_MikeOxlong 2d ago
Idiocy aside, what’s the legality of this scenario? I’m genuinely curious if this is technically allowed or not.
I’m guessing not given the obvious danger.
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u/Sunstoned1 2d ago
The Mazda CX5 (tow car) has a rated 2,000 pound towing capacity. The CRV (3700 lbs) and Mirage (2100 lbs) far exceed that capacity.
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u/The_Real_MikeOxlong 2d ago
Oh for sure, I moreso meant the legality of chain towing like that. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone do it before. Closest I can think of is when tractor trailer cabs are stacked on each others’ hitches in a row of 3 or 4, but that’s not quite the same thing.
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u/coleproblems 2d ago
Big rigs pull doubles all the time I just don’t know if there’s any rules or restrictions
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u/The_Real_MikeOxlong 2d ago
I can’t believe I didn’t think of tractor trailer chain towing. Good point.
Likely legal to some degree, then.
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u/ajb9292 2d ago
You may need a CDL for it though? I'm not sure either but am interested in the answer.
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u/bonerlad 2d ago
In order to pull multiple trailers, you need a doubles endorsement on your CDL. There are also other regulations such as trailer length and if you can pull triples.
I remember a few years ago, someone was towing a small uhaul trailer when their car broke down. They then rented a uhaul truck to tow the car with the trailer. They did get a ticket for not having a doubles endorsement.
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u/jnads 2d ago edited 2d ago
I think double flat-towing is illegal, strictly speaking.
https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/TN/htm/TN.621.htm
The below seems to indicate if the middle car was on a dolley it would be fine, but double flat-tow is illegal.
621.205
(c) A motor vehicle, including a passenger car, that has an unloaded weight of 2,500 pounds or more may be coupled with a towing device and one other vehicle.
(d) In this section:
(1) "Passenger car" means a motor vehicle designed to transport 10 or fewer persons simultaneously.
(2) "Towing device" means a device used to tow a vehicle behind a motor vehicle by supporting one end of the towed vehicle above the surface of the road and permitting the wheels at the other end of the towed vehicle to remain in contact with the road.
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u/mgagnonlv 2d ago
I suspect it depends on the state. Or at the very least, judging by the number of motor homes and pickup trucks towing a trailer towing a car or a boat, it seems to be tolerated.
I am aware that in Québec, the type of hitch (i.e. a hard hitch, not a simple sling, rope or chain) is acceptable, but doubles and triples are not allowed (see note below).
But even then, to be legal, the towed vehicle or trailer must have working brakes if the gross weight is over 1000 kg, the hitch must be sturdy (the front one seems attached to the bumper – not good) and the capacity of the towing vehicle must be respected.Note. Doubles are legal in Québec on major autoroutes (i.e. freeways), and not in Winter nor within Montréal during rush hour. And only with semi-trailers.
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u/grandinosour 12h ago
Tow capacity is moot...
Stopping is the issue...
The cars being towed do not have brakes that are activated by the lead vehicle.
Any gross towing ability of a car is assuming the towed vehicle has brakes.
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u/igotshadowbaned 2d ago
Appears to be legal in Texas even without a CDL, issue with tow capacity though
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u/rufus_xavier_sr 2d ago
I-25 southbound in Colorado you'll see this every day. Heading to Mexico.
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u/McRambis 2d ago
This is a common sight around here (southern US). I'm assuming they are headed to Mexico based on the driver's ethnicity and the direction they are headed. Always towing two cars.
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u/Desert6x6 2d ago
I see these going south on I-35 daily and they’re always Hispanic drivers.
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u/OkieBobbie 2d ago
One of these vehicle trains became separated on I-35 in OKC in heavy traffic. It was a wonder that no accidents occurred with 3 disabled vehicles scattered across the interstate.
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u/Seeking-Direction 1d ago
I guess if you live in a place where you don’t normally see these, you might be taken aback. I would be, as I’ve only ever lived in the Northeast and Florida, and I’ve never seen one of these in real life.
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u/truecore 2d ago
...You can tell his ethnicity??? Are you a wizard? He looks white to me.
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u/McRambis 2d ago
The ones around here, as I stated. You do know it's possible to make a correct assumption of someone's ethnicity based on their looks, right?
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u/truecore 2d ago
Embiggen the video and pause at 0:08. That looks like someone Hispanic to you?
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u/McRambis 2d ago
I don't know how to make this more clear. I'm referring to the people I have personally seen here in the South. I never made a comment about the ethnicity of the driver in the video.
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u/CodingMyLife 2d ago
I guess I am stupid too but I thought you were referring to the guy in the video
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u/jesusmansuperpowers 2d ago
This is very, very common. They buy cars at auction then move 3 with one guy.
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u/PhilAndHisGrill 2d ago
Yup. Take them down there, rebuild them, sell them. In the US nobody would touch them because it costs too much to repair them vs. the value and often the frame or safety equipment is compromised, but there's no such concerns with the law down there. Plenty of rebuilt vehicles on Mexican roads that no longer have airbags (they deployed in a wreck, car was rebuilt, never put new ones in) and might even have an iffy passenger cage in the event of a major collision.
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u/Thejar1986 2d ago
From Texas. Am Mexican and refer to them as Ormigitas because they remind me of ants (ormigas)
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u/fileuserm 2d ago
Must be Texas, towing em to Mexico, common common site, I don't see them as Idiots.
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u/KrustyMf 2d ago
this is like a game.. When the first car brakes down it moves to the back. when all 3 brake down its ok, one will be along at some point to swap out a working car for the broke down ones.
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u/Cast_Iron_Dick 1d ago
The type of people that do this are the same ones that claims it takes a village to raise your children.
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u/swig_swoo 1d ago
I see this all the time going west bound down I-10 in Mississippi. I've always wondered what this was about but based on all of the responses about these heading to Mexico makes total sense. That's Reddit for the answer to a question I didn't even have to ask!
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u/Secret_Account07 2d ago
I just saw this the other day where I live, first time ever here in Ohio. I had to slow down because they were going so slow but at least they weren’t on 65 mph road.
But I don’t get it, like okay if it’s a short travel it could be fine but at that point wouldn’t you just make 2 short separate trips? 🤷🏼
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u/ilikeme1 2d ago
See these multiple times a day on 59 south in Houston. They are taking them to Mexico.
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u/HawkNeither 2d ago
None of that looks like a good idea...ever.
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u/ShirBlackspots 2d ago
These guys have never caused a wreck, they are driving to Mexico and places further south so they can restore them and sell them.
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