Beware of Falling Rocks - WTH

[holstein13]

I've traveled quite a bit through the mountains the past few years and often pause to consider exactly what the "Beware of Falling Rocks" actually means.

I assume that rocks occasionally break away from the mountain side and come crashing down or roll onto the road surface. But how often does this happen, how big is the danger, and what, exactly, should we be doing in addition to our normal vigilance to prevent a problem? For the record, I have never seen any large rocks on the road anywhere near the "falling rocks" signs.

Seriously, I am constantly watching the road for any debris. Things fall off of trucks and cars all the time. Things get blown onto the road and I see debris all the time on the road. Aren't we supposed to be watching out for this anyway? Why the special attention to rocks?

If there are so many rocks falling from the mountain that this is a likely event, then I fully expect the entity responsible for the road to mitigate the damage with netting and catchment areas and I see those all the time. If the rocks are less frequent, then why the need for the sign?

Maybe you could shed some light on the dangers here and share your experiences if you've encountered these falling rocks.

[tatest]

Traveling through a falling rocks zone during a thunderstorm, a three foot boulder missed me by about 15 feet, a smaller rock punched a hole through a front panel.

Falling rocks warning means watch for falling rocks, be prepared to dodge them, watch for rocks already in the roadbed.

[Dutch_12078]

I've stopped a couple of times over the years to help clear rocks up to basketball size from a roadway. I've also helped clear downed trees off of roads a few times, but there weren't any signs warning of those...

[Allworth]

Or maybe the crew gets paid by the sign. More signs = more pay!

[slickest1]

If they didn't post these areas with signs then they are liable. It is one of the hazards of driving on mountainous roads and the signs have no more or less significance than the lines on the the road. They are there to let you know that there is a danger.

[bpounds]

Warning signs about falling rocks are not only about boulders. A tennis ball sized rock on the road is all it takes to take out a tire and cause a catastrophe.

There is a mountain road that we frequent where the hillside above the cut is simply unstable. They plow the road twice a day, all year long. Same plow they use for snow, but this plow is just clearing any rocks that have rolled onto the roadway. You best keep a sharp eye out on that road.

[beemerphile1]

You all don't know what you are talking about, I learned as a Boy Scout the reason for the falling rocks signs.

Cliff notes version;

A tribe of native Americans sent out a messenger to gather all the bands for a great war with the white man. The chosen messenger was the son of Rising Sun.

In the spring none of the other bands arrived as requested because the messenger had disappeared in the mountains. A deal was struck between Rising Son and the white soldiers.

Rising Sun and his people would surrender and go peacefully to the reservation if the white man would agree to help find his son. That is why, now you see signs "Watch for Falling Rocks" as that was the name of the son of Rising Sun.

[eieioh]

I'm a little sad that the true story of the Snoqualmie Brave Falling Rock has been deleted. I feel the members of this forum deserve to know the story and thus be able to act appropriatly when encountering Falling Rock.

[holstein13]

dodge guy wrote:
A thread from a few days ago!

Zion NP road closed!

That's a great example of what I'm talking about. The park was closed during the thunderstorm that caused this boulder to fall. Hence, no need for the signs.

[dodge_guy]

A thread from a few days ago!

Zion NP road closed!

[wnjj]

Naio wrote:
:: laughing at the image of a giant class A playing dodgeball with falling rocks ::

I mostly see the more succinct signs that just say 'ROCKS'.

I always want to write 'AC/DC' above.

(Not that I am particularly an AC/DC fan; they just seem to fit.)

Years ago a local radio station had a slogan, "KGON rocks". More than once I saw a KGON bumper sticker stuck on the 'rocks' warning sign alongside a highway in the coast range.

[Durb]

I had to stop short for bounding rocks coming over the road while descending the cliff at Lake Billy Chinook in Oregon. They were tumbling and bouncing with such force that many would have been lethal if they struck a vehicle even though none was bigger than a basketball.

Had a friend that drove over a fallen rock on the Kalama River Road. It didn't look too big but was enough to roll under her oil pan and transmission and total a late model Jaguar sedan.

[mockturtle]

In 2005, three women were killed by a rock falling on their car near Snoqualmie Pass on I-90 in WA. If a rock is 'falling', it's probably too late. Maybe the signs should say, 'Watch out for Fallen Rocks'.

[free_radical]

Gdetrailer wrote:

3oaks wrote:

352 wrote:
:h


I think you have way to much time on your hands.

I agree. And perhaps pretty bored too.

I always believed "Beware of Falling Rocks" was pretty self explanatory. :R

But then again, if traveling in PA, there is a danger of falling rocks originating from people throwing them from highway overpasses as a poor woman from Ohio tragically was hit by.

That doesn't happen just in PA..

My brother had moved TO Ohio, was there not even a week and lost a windshield due to a rock someone had nicely tossed off the bridge he went under..

But back to the subject at hand, signs like that are often placed in WELL KNOWN areas for rocks coming down hill sides.. Typically places that have had repeated falling rock events..

More than once there HAS been boulders the size of a bus or larger fall on the road on Route 28 between Harmer and Pittsburgh off the bluffs above the road. Makes for a real traffic mess when that happens.

It was even worse while back in Edmonton when some punks tossed heavy rock from overpass at night and killed a bus driver,,
Took the cops a long while but they did catch the culprits eventualy,,some young school kids stupid prank..

[2gypsies1]

If it's been raining hard or for days that's when you'll watch for falling rocks.