Is it safe for a Tacoma to drive over a mattress at highway speeds?

I had a situation where I was merging on the freeway, and out of nowhere, a full-size mattress was dropped in my lane. The road was narrow with guardrails and cones on both sides. I just missed the mattress but hit a cone going 60mph, which really damaged my front bumper. This is frustrating because I have only driven 500 miles on the truck. I called highway patrol immediately to report the obstruction. But now I’m wondering if my Tacoma could’ve gone over the mattress without any serious damage. My girlfriend thinks I should’ve just driven over it instead of damaging my bumper. What do you think? Should I have just gone over the mattress?

No vehicle should drive over anything at highway speeds if you can safely avoid it.

Tate said:
No vehicle should drive over anything at highway speeds if you can safely avoid it.

FOR SURE THIS!

A few years ago, I saw a pickup truck with an unsecured mattress and box spring in the back. The mattress flew out, and I ran over it in my semi. When I stopped and checked under the truck, I saw fabric wrapped around the driveshaft and a piece hanging from the exhaust. Plus, if it’s an old mattress with those metal springs, it could puncture a tire or a line.

You did the right thing. That mattress could have gotten tangled in your driveshaft. I’ve seen photos of that, and it’s a mess. Don’t beat yourself up about it; second-guessing won’t change anything.

It probably could have gone over it, but there’s always some risk when driving over debris at highway speeds, no matter what vehicle you’re in.

Nah, you did the right thing. It’s just a bumper; get it replaced.

Man, you could’ve caught air and wrecked badly if you hit that mattress!

Way better to hit the cone than the mattress. Sorry about the bumper, but you can call insurance or just buy a new one yourself.

It’s not lifted, so it’s at the stock ride height. I’ve only driven a few hundred miles and was still enjoying it until this happened. It just feels like I would’ve seriously damaged the car if I’d driven over the mattress, but I’m honestly not sure.