Warning about spinner roller luggage

Valuable insight, I'm sure, for anyone who has never had to handle anything on wheels before, while on a slope.

This sounds like a story that needs to be shared. :) But I have seen funny reels that portray this.

It could also happen on one of those escalators that don’t have steps - just one flat surface going down or up (like some Spanish train stations).

I am pretty sure that a mental lapse, though, is what creates the hazardous situation - just like forgetting to look the correct way in some European countries and stepping out into oncoming traffic.

I hope this isn't personal experience

This being your first post there must have been something to trigger the post

Mine was recent personal experience - although I don't know if it was a spinner style or plain wheels. Coming down the escalator in Denver's airport, a man a couple steps above me either had poorly positioned or lost control of his bag- it slammed into the backs of my legs and I was able to grab the rail to steady myself - I am 72! He scrambled past me, grabbed the bag and sprinted away the last few stairs and onto the train to baggage claim all so quickly I was still processing what happened and he was gone!
I was okay after the initial pain subsided. I am really active and work hard on my balance but with more momentum or weight of his bag it wouldn't have mattered. I have never before worried about this happening! But sure plan to pay attention now!
Safe travels to all!

Yes, the story: 3:45 AM. Not entirely awake. Luggage all on landing. Friends live at top of sloped driveway for 3 condos and the street is uphill from them. Taxi arrives. I maneuver my new, never-before-used-before-this-trip suitcase out onto the driveway, turn for another piece and it starts rolling. As I ran after it it continued to increase the distance between me and it. Bushes at the end of the driveway brought it to a halt but I couldn't find it. Taxi driver came with flashlight, found it, brought it back, loaded it. Rest of trip including ~ 11 hours in the air was normal. My friend and I did laugh hysterically, for a couple days even.
But thinking about it, it was clear to me that these are dangerous, and I reiterate, there should be some kind of easy-to-employ brake on one of the wheels. My 2 wheeled suitcases can't roll down a slope, but roll very nicely in airports. The 4-wheel spinners, I noticed, slow down on airport carpets by the way.
If my suitcase could have rolled the rest of the way down that slope unencumbered by buildings and landscaping or animals or toddlers, the Danube would have been its stopping point. But probably a couple miles down...
So it is OK to laugh, but one participant in this thread was hit by an uncontrolled suitcase, and therefore I rest my case. They need a brake. Possibly one that must overcome inertia to roll. Won't hold my breath.

I understand a Bill is before Congress right now that will mandate brakes and speed limiting devices on all spinner bags.

I hope they include a large warning label in the bill!!

I understand a Bill is before Congress right now that will mandate brakes and speed limiting devices on all spinner bags.

Samsonite has just announced spinner wheel bag liability insurance for those people owning spinner wheel bags.

Bon Voyage, you are right - that could be dangerous and I bet it took you a bit to recover! To be perfectly honest, something similar to that situation is something I watch for (because it happens regularly). On escalators going up or down (like when we are deboarding), people with a 2 wheeler will often step off, and readjust the distance between themselves and their bag since they are pulling it behind them. Meaning they walk ahead but their bag stays right in front of the escalator and nowhere for me to go - a jump if I am watching or a trip and fall if I am momentarily not watching.

I am pretty sure this is a flaw in the way they use the bag or the way I am positioned - not the bag itself, though.

AND --- that is the main reason that many escalators had a sign prohibiting wheeled luggage on the escalator. But no one enforces it and it is totally ignored -- self included.

Keep in mind --- Trump actually invented wheeled luggage -- said so in a recent interview. He is opposed to the above referenced legislation since it would indicate that his original design had a flaw. He had originally designed a big beautiful bag with a hand brake but the patent office under Kennedy removed the brake design as unnecessary. So if you are injured by a run away bag, sue the Democratic Party and Biden because they had the opportunity to correct the defect and did not. Not his fault.

Thank you, Frank. I laughed out loud. And really needed that laugh today.

Gravity doesn’t care if a suitcase has 2 wheels or 4 or none at all. If not held properly, all types of luggage can tip over and slide down an escalator. I know this because I was hit on my legs by a 2-wheeled trolley on an escalator at Haneda Tokyo Airport a couple of years ago. I saw the trolley sliding towards me, but there was no escaping it. All I could do was turn sideways a bit, so my left leg took the brunt of the collision and my other leg escaped relatively fine. It being in Japan, the owner of the suitcase apologized profusely, but that unfortunately didn’t help much with the pain. It was a very unpleasant flight home with a painful throbbing leg!

They'll pry our 18 year-old, 24-inch, 2-wheeled Travelpro bags out of our cold, dead hands.
Just had those wheels replaced; worth every cent.

Gravity is a cruel Task Mistress. Even an unwheeled duffel bag can flop off of something and land on your foot.

I'm already seeing billboards show up on the commute that say "you need someone on your side in the event of a spinner accident. Turn to Slipper & Filch Attorneys and we will make sure you keep on rolling." Fees based on outcomes.

"We'll make sure you get what's coming to you" - Dewey, Cheatham, and Howe

Rollerbags have been around for more than 30 years. I wonder why it's taken so long to start recognizing the potential danger.

This is the first seen or heard anything about this. I don't recall any previous posts here about it. Have I not been paying attention?

Of course with two wheelers, I've seen people drag them so far behind them that they take up the space of three or four people. And then they walk slowly in an airport terminal.

I've also lost count the number of times I've been hit in the face with someone forgeting they have a large backpack on their back.

(Hint. If you are on a crowded metro or underground, take the $#@%#% backpack off. You will either back into someone or hit them when you turn.)

I've used a spinner for years and it never got away from me. Perhaps some newcomers to spinners should put a big "L" on their bags warning others they are still learning how to use them.

Totally laughing, Frank!

Check your bag. Free your space.

It's amazing to see how often this is a problem on airport shuttle vans. Just lay them down on the side, folks.

This is a good warning for those using four-wheel spinners especially. Having the bag end up in traffic or in the river would be a darn nuisance and not a pleasant holiday memory! I'll remember to always put my carry-on bag on the downhill side of the spinner to make sure it doesn't go anywhere.