One electric vehicle driver took to Twitter to share a disturbing video. In it, three pickup trucks form a blockade in front of him as he is driving, with one of the trucks then releasing heavy plumes of diesel exhaust, a practice known as "rolling coal."
Rolling coal refers to the practice where drivers illegally modify their pickup trucks to bypass pollution controls and spew 40 to 100 times more exhaust than a standard vehicle. The reason to do this is, essentially, just to be a huge jerk for misguided political reasons.
Rolling coal practitioners seem to be upset about the entire concept of environmentalism and are lashing out at those who they perceive to be on the other side of the issue, such as EV drivers and cyclists.
Taking my Model 3 out on a road trip and these 3 a**holes form a blockade in front of me and send all their fumes my direction. This should be illegal. Really wish I had a HEPA air filter right now…@WholeMarsBlog @jff024 @TheTeslaHoe @ValueAnalyst1 @DirtyTesLa @kylaschwaberow… pic.twitter.com/1X14rm3NuH
— Nathan (@NateWiki) June 7, 2023
Drivers who engage in such antics are not simply creating a nuisance and causing excessive pollution, but they are also threatening people's lives. The plumes of exhaust create massive visibility issues, as is clear in the Twitter video that Tesla driver Nathan (@NateWiki) posted.
In one 2021 incident, a 16-year-old in Texas allegedly lost control of his truck while attempting to "roll coal" at a group of cyclists and ended up plowing into them, sending six to the hospital. He was initially not charged with a crime but was later charged with six felony counts following public outcry. As the driver was a juvenile at the time of the incident, there have been no further updates.
Other Twitter users shared their disgust in response to this video.
"Can this video be used to prosecute those drivers? This type of behavior while driving should not be tolerated," wrote one user.
"Coal rolling is insanely unhealthy. Should be a punishable federal crime," wrote another. "Vid evidence is common. Please @EPA, use vids. Large fines $$ + community service."
"It's also a safety hazard due to poor visibility potentially causing accidents," replied a third. "Seriously should be a BIG fine for this."
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