The practice of rolling coal is pretty objectionable to begin with, but when it is targeted at other road users it becomes an aggressive way for diesel drivers to senselessly endanger those around them, as a Tesla Model 3 owner recently experienced.
Twitter user @NateWiki recently shared footage from the inside of his Model 3 after a trio of pickup trucks occupied all three lanes ahead of him. He describes their convergence as a “blockade,” which may explain why he started filming.
To be sure, the three pickups appear to be driving at more or less the same speed, and all three are modified similarly with underlighting and upgraded suspensions, lending credence to the allegation that they coordinated their actions intentionally.
Read: 16-Year-Old Allegedly Rolling Coal In Ford Pickup Hits Multiple Cyclists In Texas
Shortly after the Tesla’s driver moves over to the rightmost lane, the pickup ahead of him stamps on the accelerator, generating a plume of dark diesel fumes that he has no choice but to drive through.
@NateWiki writes in his tweet that he wishes he “had the HEPA air filter right now,” which is fair enough. It must surely be unpleasant to drive through an acrid cloud of black smoke that is full of carcinogens.
The video also reveals the more immediate threat of the coal rolling smoke, showing just how severely it affects the visibility of following drivers. In addition to the POV Tesla, it is clear that are a number of other drivers on the road, all of whom have to deal with these truck drivers’ antics.
In his tweet, @NateWiki says that the act should be illegal, and beyond impacts of coal rolling on public health and the environment, this video highlights that a persuasive argument could be made that intentionally rolling coal like this constitutes public endangerment. Indeed, Teslarati points out that the practice has been outlawed in a number of states, but they remain in the minority.