In Florida, brother, they can DEFINITELY spare a dime!

Every time I turn on a television, I am bombarded with images of the tests that automotive companies use to determine the safety rating on cars. Most of the time, these commercials use one of two tried-and-true methods: either they show a dark sedan swerving along a curvy highway, masterfully handling corners, or they show a testing facility, often staffed with a bevy of white-coated, vaguely Germanic engineers with wire-framed glasses. One thing that they do not show is a car skidding to a stop atop a massive pile of loose change.

Ironically, this is exactly what drivers in Mims, Florida had to deal with recently, when two tractor-trailers crashed into each other. One of the trucks was carrying approximately 3.5 million nickels from Philadelphia to Miami. The four tons of coins sprayed across the interstate and the grass median, shutting down traffic for six hours as the Secret Service was tasked with picking up the $185,000 in small change.

In related news, the nickels were not, apparently, enough money to feed all the toll plazas between Pennsylvania and south Florida. Thank God for E-Z pass!

Bruce Watson is a freelance writer, blogger, and all-around cheapskate. He admits that the toll plaza line was a cheap shot.