----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David Minkler" <mink@luxtron.com>
[snip]
> We laugh at this as though it's some kind of joke about a malevolent 
> universe (maybe it really is) but there is a serious side to this. 
> People, for instance, who have a properly inflated spare tire (tyre?) in 
> the trunk (boot?), and know they have one, are far less likely to need one 
> than people who don't know if there even is one in the vehicle.  This is 
> probably due to the fact that the kind of people who occasionally check 
> their spares also take a quick glance at their tires , to check air 
> pressure and condition when they are approaching their vehicle (they 
> preflight their ground vehicle).  This often translates into similar 
> behavior in other areas of their lives.
[snip]

I think it has more to do with the fact that if you do have a spare tire, 
you are less likely to remember the incident.  Obviously, if you were 
stranded in the middle of nowhere because you didn't have a spare, it is 
going to hurt more, and you will be more likely to tell others about it. 
Thus reinforcing their belief that if you don't have a spare you have a 
better chance to get a flat tire.

IMHO, this applies to most other variations of Murphy's Law.

Best regards,

Vitaliy 

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