I was driving to work last week on I-280. I was in the far left lane going about 80 mph, when I noticed that the car in front of me, an Audi of some type, had a flat tire. Apparently it does not substantially affect the performance of an Audi to have a flat rear driver-side tire, because the driver was cruising along at 80 mph without a care in the world. Traffic was fairly heavy, so I could not pull alongside him to get his attention. I flashed my lights and honked the horn a few times to no avail. By the time the traffic lightened, he was making his way to the right lane to exit. If that guy got into a fiery wreck later on, I guess I’m partially responsible.

Cut to this week, I’m heading home from work on Sand Hill Rd in Palo Alto, and I notice that the car in front of me has a flat tire. Rear driver-side again. This time I manage to pull along side, roll down the window, hit the horn, and start pointing. The driver rolls down his window, and I yell “Flat tire, back left!” He yells a thanks back and immediately pulls over. Potential crisis averted. That’s just good citizenry.