5 things to do if you get 'coal rolled' in your Prius
Matthew DeBord/Business Insider
Not for ridicule from a bunch of "car guys" - my $18 monthly fill-ups means that they don't have much of an argument, and besides, my other car is sometimes a Ferrari.
No, I was aware that I could get "coal rolled."
What, you might ask, is coal rolling? Before you start thinking that it involves zombie Dickensian chimney sweeps or bands of angry miners imitating Ric Astley, let me explain. It's what happens when somebody with a big ole diesel pickup truck skirts the emissions regulations in his or her state and rigs their ride to spew great plumes of black exhaust smoke - just like the trucks at truck-and-tractor-pull competitions.
The New York Times recently ran a story about the practice.
As it turns out, because all Prius owners are somehow bent on getting big, smoke-belching trucks off the roads, we're often targets for coal rolling.
"Depending on whom you ask, rolling coal is a juvenile prank, a health hazard, a stand against rampant environmentalism, a brazen show of American freedom," the Times' Hiroko Tabuchi wrote. "Coal rollers' frequent targets: walkers, joggers, cyclists, hybrid and Asian cars and even police officers. A popular bumper sticker reads 'Prius Repellent.'"
According to the Times, the state where I live, New Jersey, has banned coal rolling and leveling $5,000 fines on truck owners who do the dirty deed.
So I might not have much to worry about. But if you are under coal-rolling threat elsewhere, here are some ways you can respond:
- Tesla tells some laid-off employees their separation agreements are canceled and new ones are on the way
- Taylor Swift's 'The Tortured Poets Department' is the messiest, horniest, and funniest album she's ever made
- One of the world's only 5-star airlines seems to be considering asking business-class passengers to bring their own cutlery
- UP board exam results announced, CM Adityanath congratulates successful candidates
- RCB player Dinesh Karthik declares that he is 100 per cent ready to play T20I World Cup
- 9 Foods that can help you add more protein to your diet
- The Future of Gaming Technology
- Stock markets stage strong rebound after 4 days of slump; Sensex rallies 599 pts