Shoes:
I think it is a combination of all of the above. There was a terrible car accident here and in the news footage, there on the side of the road was one of the person’s shoes. I also think that on some of those tied sneakers the laces rot or they come untied and fall. Maybe one rolls into a ditch and one stays on the road. Maybe an animal carries one off. I also think wacky people are fooling around maybe threatening to toss someone’s shoe out the window and the wind takes it.
Socks
Socks are a completely different thing. As you all know from doing laundry, socks go walkabout. Clearly, they were told they were free-range socks and never looked back. The crossing a road or railroad track, they are hit and that’s it. They’re left laying there. My theory as to why they don’t leave in pairs is the yearning of a twin to establish its own identity.
Shoes, they just aren’t as independent-minded.