Ever seen a pair of shoes on the road and wondered how in the heck they got there? No, it isn’t the remnants of some horrible accident. There are actually some pretty simple explanations.
Photo by el cajon yacht club.
Don’t worry, fellow curious minds. Redditor 86Quiche must have just encountered the “random shoe on road” phenomenon recently and asked the same question yesterday: “People who’ve lost a shoe on the highway, how’d that happen?” Other redditors quickly responded — some also demanding to know the truth, while others were quick to give their own explanations.
The most commonly noted reason, and the most believable, is that people are forgetful creatures. Several redditors told stories about how they placed their joggers/dress shoes/kid’s shoes on top of the car, got distracted, then got in the car and drove off with the shoes on the roof. Eventually, the shoes can’t stand up to your vehicle’s high speeds and they go flying off into the road in hopes of becoming an entertaining enigma to passing drivers.
People also tend to throw their shoes for some reason, especially kids. Throughout the Reddit thread, parents lamented their children’s desire to toss things out open windows while they drive — including their tiny, expensive Nikes they don’t need. Others told stories about spouses throwing shoes in frustration (why?), and some simply explained how their shoes fell out of the car when they opened the door and they didn’t realise it until it was too late. It’s all a pretty entertaining read if you’re looking to kill some time.
So, while it is true that people’s shoes can fly off when they’re struck by a vehicle, that probably isn’t what you’re seeing when you spot a jogger sitting all by its lonesome on the highway shoulder. It’s just a shoe someone forgot, threw or lost.
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