On 09/10/13 17:49, Erik wrote:
I had a truck's rear u-joint go while I was following it once. The
center flew out and hit my windshield right between my eyes. Luckily,
it was spinning beneficially to the slant of the windshield, so my
F-150 glass only got a shearing scratch there, no puncture. Most of
it polished out. I was -really- lucky that day. A truck cross through
the forehead would have kinda hurt. I avoided the drive shaft which
the truck jumped over because I was in the next lane over by that
time. Talk about adrenaline shakes...
Reminded me of this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOhgMAOrp0c

As a kid I remember my dad coming home one day and telling us of a lost
driveshaft scare he's had... IIRC he said it came from the opposite side
of the freeway bouncing/flailing end over end through traffic, hopped
the center divider for another bounce or two before impaling itself
javelin style into an ice-plant covered embankment.

I've heard, (but don't know to be fact) that US Federal Motor Vehicle
Safety Standards now require vehicles contain and prevent driveshaft
separation in the event of joint failure.

Erik
When I was living in Wichita around 1981 a woman was killed when a IIRC
plastic drain fitting fell off another vehicle and smashed through her
windscreen. I myself have received minor facial cuts when a rock was
jettisoned from a tipper truck, possibly having been stuck between the
twin rear wheels, hit the back edge of the bonnet (US hood) and smashed
the windscreen in front of me puncturing the laminated interlayer,
fortunately I saw it coming in time the shut my eyes. Luckily no one
else was in the car as they would have been showered in glass shards. I
was surprised just how much glass was in the car from front to back, it
got everywhere.