Wednesday, November 9, 2011

It's Snowing! What should I do?

Well it's finally here, we had our first major snow in TMT this week.  The change in the season means beautiful contrasts between evergreen trees, crisp white snow, and clear blue skies; the laughter of children as they fly through the snow on their sleds; the excitement that builds as the holidays approach; and... oh my...what was that huge crash...oh yes, people have forgotten how to drive.  This is understandable since it's been a whopping 5 whole months since the last time we saw snow.  Somehow 5 months seems to be that magical cut off where people have just forgotten what snow looks like, let alone that it's slippery. 
Some people walk out of their houses and say "snow, eh, this doesn't change a thing, I will go about my day exactly as I would if there was no snow, I mean there is only 4 feet, just a light dusting really." 

Then there are those who will peak out from behind their blinds and gasp in fear, retreating to the safety of their plushly duveted bed muttering "I can't go out there, what is all that white stuff, it looks scary, it is sure to kill me if I turn my back on it or attempt go out in it!  I mean there is a whole inch of it out there, what if I fall, no one will ever find me!"

Both of these people cause serious problems on the road after a snow storm (or even just a flurry).  The former tends to drive their typical 10 miles over the speed limit, changing lanes erratically, splashing slush onto unsuspecting drivers.  This person usually drives a large truck so if they are in an accident they generally don't know it happened, ("what was that speed bump doing in the middle of the Interstate, they really shouldn't put those there").  Then there is the latter, this person drives so slow and so cautiously that the season is likely to change at least two more times before you reach your destination.  This driver is easy to find, just look for the line of cars that snakes through 15 miles of interstate.  Or listen for the symphony of honking horns, if you use your imagination it's like cars singing Christmas Carols.  This person tends to drive a very compact car with rear wheel drive and no clearance, in other words a car well suited for a place that doesn't get snow, you know, the opposite of TMT.

Now I am a fantastic driver which is why I can pass judgement about the skills of other drivers.  I have never almost slid off of an icy road, except for that one time.  I have only been in a handful of accidents, of which some were NOT my fault.  And getting pulled over once every few years for speeding falls within the acceptable range I'm told.  So when I hear people complain about the driving conditions after they took an hour to drive the 5 miles to work, I just chuckle to myself, shake my head and think "where did these people learn to drive anyway"?

2 comments:

  1. why does the weather make people drive so crazy? I lived in Seattle where people would zip down the freeway 80 mph in pouring rain, changing lanes, speeding up to pass a semi-- no big deal. When it was sunny, look out! all the cars crawled along saying, "What is this bright stuff? Noooooooooo! Can't take it! Must. Slow. Down."

    best,
    MOV

    ReplyDelete
  2. did I seriously start reading you daily and you stop posting simultaneously? Come on!

    ReplyDelete