Have you ever lost a shoe on a motorway?

[bearbackrida]

Just wondering, as every motorway seems to have a random shoe on the hard shoulder every few miles. Do people throw them out the window during family arguments? Are they lying on the back seat with their feet up on the open window? I can't help thinking that every shoe must have an interesting backstory.

Never lost a shoe but did lose a rabbit hutch.
when I was a teen, moving to a new house, my father was driving his car, rabbit hutch tied to the roof rack. My mother was following in her car with me as passenger. Fortunately following not too closely as the rabbit hutch came loose, came flying off the roof straight for us. Managed to avoid it but took ages for father to realise we’d disappeared from his rear view mirror.
( no rabbits were harmed in this incident)

Yup our house cane with a stash of bricks. The house was built 90 years ago.

I'm enjoying learning about the variety of reasons for the shoes and things in the side of the road. Sorry to the pp who had the accident. I'll be thinking if that in future.

Following with great interest.

Abandoned solitary shoes on the motorway always make me feel unbelievably sad for some reason.

And no, it has never happened to me

I've lost a shoe on the motorway. I had a car accident and they cut my clothes off me.
One shoe was in the car that was towed and one shoe was left on the side of the road. I actually drove past it a couple of months later. I was so lucky to be alive

Once saw a whole family's luggage strewn all over the motorway . It was roof racks back in the day and people secured their luggage . I remember the man had his head in his hands and his misses giving home right grief . The kids were crying . The police must have come and stopped the traffic while they collected their belongings. I hope so !

We once lost a flip flop. It was bunged into a roll mat in the trailer and must have flown out on the motorway

🤣🤣🤣🤣

So true!!!!

One of life's little mysteries.

I love that!

I used to live in Hammersmith and there was a bus stop there where you would always see a pair of shoes just at the point where someone would wait to get on the bus. It was as though someone was in such a hurry to get on the bus that they jumped out of their shoes. I live there for a year and I think I saw 10 pairs of shoes in that time.

Really? I drive hundreds of miles a week on a motorway and don't notice this! 🤣🤣

THANK YOU FIR THIS THREAD!!!!!!!
I’ve always wondered this!

My hatchback once flew open as I drove down the M4 and all my loose belongings - that I'd stuffed into every last crack and crevice - were dumped in a long snake down the fast lane, including quite a few shoes. None of them a complete pair FGS. Couldnt for obvious reasons retrieve any of them. So was left with about five right or left foot singleton shoes and boots, useful only to an amputee.

I also always ponder the random lost shoes you see! Bet there are some interesting back stories. 😁
We were driving home from Wales when the kids were small. Car stuffed to the ceiling with all the usual holiday gear plus extra stuff you need when kids are small like cot etc.
Had to pull over for some reason to sort out a child. Discovered later one single shoe has fallen out when we did that, so somewhere in a lay-by in Wales there was a single red child's shoe. (new and we were so hard up at the time I was gutted).

I lost a stiletto climbing onto a train. Fell between the train step and the platform onto the tracks. Was far to embarrassed to do anything. Fortunately I was heading on a weekend away and put another pair of shoes on when I got to my seat and put the left over one in my bag. Sitting here now wondering what happened to it. This was in 1988. It's probably still in the bottom of a cupboard somewhere.

I love this question. This crossed my mind on a long m’way journey at the weekend when I spotted a white adult trainer.

Is there a simpler explanation for stray tires? Why wouldn’t they get cleared up after an accident? I’ve see a few of those also.

They are usually from car crashes. Either from the occupants themselves or from being ejected from the car.

On a brighter subject...its all those shoes dangling from telegraph wires that get me thinking.

No, but once Dh was trying to put youngest’s shoes on in the car before the school run. Got one on and gave up on the other.

I drove dd to school (10 minutes away), dropped her off, then drove ds to preschool (another 7 minutes away). When I got there, realised he only had one shoe on.

The other was still perched on the roof of the car where Dh had put it 20 minutes before. 😂

Petshopboys - I love the idea of giving directions using Teresa May's shoe!
ExH once lost a miniature rugby ball trying to pass it to Ds1 in the seat behind him via the open window. No chance of stopping as they were on the M5 towing a caravan at the time. Should point out he wasn't driving.
I got home once and realised my favourite pink picnic mug was missing. The last time I'd seen it was when I was strapping Ds3 into his car seat at a service station and I put it on the roof, shortly before rejoining the M6.

Aww now every time I see a shoe I'm going to think someone had a car crash had to be cut out of their car possibly minus their foot and that is why there are shoes everywhere, they should all be collected and put by the side of the road as a memorial and a warning to drive carefully (or keep windows closed with tantruming toddlers in the car) so what do trainers hanging on telegraph poles/wires mean then? I thought that just meant bullies nicked someones pe shoes and threw them in the air for a laugh and they got stuck there!

I lost a shoe at an Echo and the Bunneymen convert. I'm still waiting for Prince Charming to turn up - it's been a very long wait.

I always feel like somebody has come to a sticky end to be honest

I feel immensely sad when I see them

Yes, the fellow who used to date my X SIL found a handbag years before belonging to a well known (not UK) female on our local motorway who was missing. Her Body was never found and they often wondered if the handbag had been put there to divert attention as it was well away from where she worked and resided.

As a baby I took my shoes off and threw them out of the window on the motorway 🙈🙈