As I looked out the window, I saw a good 4" of fresh snow and it was still falling at a pretty good clip. School closed. The forecast said sleet and freezing rain to start around lunch time and continue through the day. Great.
My mind raced between "Do I go into work or do I stay home?" My husband had a commitment already that he could not get out of and who knew how long he would be. I just took a whole day off last week for a snow day. What I really wanted to do was stay home, but I felt torn with the feeling of obligation to go into work. I decided to brave it and go in for half a day.
I hate, and I do mean H-A-T-E to drive in bad weather. I seem to instantly turn 190 years old. I'm sure that is what it felt like this morning to the Conga Line of drivers that trailed behind me as I inched my way down the road. I could almost feel them shaking their fists at me in frustration. I don't care. I will drive 5 mph, white knuckles and all for as long as I have to.
Listen up drivers in bad weather: I will get there when I get there...no need to risk my life or yours. Why are you in such a big hurry, tailgating Mr. Dodge Durango guy? I see you have fallen into the ‘false sense of security’ pool, swimming with the belief that because you drive a SUV, you can travel faster than the posted speed limit in Winter Storm WARNING weather. Boy that just irks me.
Ice is ice, Baby.
No way around it, 4WD or not, nothing gets traction on ice. Yet, owners of the SUV seem to feel invincible of this phenomenon. I've seen time and time again, drivers who get frustrated, peel out from behind a slow moving vehicle and within seconds, begin to fishtail, lose control and find themselves in a ditch, the median or god forbid wrapped around a tree. All because of a lack of patience.
So, after a half day of work, I saw that my trip home would be just as welcomed as the commute was in the morning. As I waited for traffic to pass, I saw yet another SUV coming down the road. I thought I had enough time to pull out, since the car would have to slow down to go around the slight curve in the road- you know, because of the good 3 inches of icy slush on the road. I will point out that there was also pa-l-enty of time to take the foot off the gas Mr. Nissan Pathfinder man. But, instead, decided to slide through the turn and get right on my bumper. My guess was so that I could have a nice clear view of the bird he was flipping me against his windshield. I also saw that he had a Handicapped tag hanging from his rear view mirror. I guess his handicap was NOT with his hand.
Seems it may have been his snowy travel decision making.
Then again, who am I to say how one should drive. I guess I should just send out this warning for all on the road.
Keep your flippin’ snow-birds to yourself, sonny, because I will be taking my sweet old time to get to my destination.
How do you feel about driving in bad weather? Do you drive as slow as molasses too?
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I drive cautiously and don't tailgate! Reading this made me think of my own tales today, with no school and going stir crazy... too wet to ski. to icy to drive anywhere...so I went out for a walk, my neighbors creeped by with the utmost care, my great grandmother with her walker could have outdone their pace. Their contractors on the other hand...raced into the neighborhood as if they were in Daytona on a certain track in good weather...I had to evacuate myself to a snowbank more than once. This includes avoiding a POLAND SPRING TRUCK... now that would have made the mountain...
ReplyDeleteI hate driving in bad weather - I turn 190, too! Even after 28 years of Chicago snow, it still always freaked me out!
ReplyDeleteI grew up in Maine and learned how to drive in the most horrible of weather. I learned to be cautious and drive safely...like a 190 year old. :)
ReplyDeleteRain scares me more than snow or ice. Now I live in California where people drive like lunatics in the rain, which freaks me out even more.
Sometimes I miss driving in the snow. I used to love the way the snow swirled about my car.
People are SO dumb! And like you said, it doesn't matter what kind of car or truck you drive; it's still ice!
ReplyDeleteI drive slow with the bad weather. About the only time I do drive slow! Today was the "day after" the ice storm so of course everyone thought everything was hunky dory on the roads. Ummm not so much. 2 huge accidents on a 10 mile stretch of road. Slow down People!!!
ReplyDeleteI sympathize - I definitely drive like an old lady in the snow! And I get so panicked when people tail me!
ReplyDeleteI really despise driving at night and in rain. I have and I hope to never drive in snow so I can't really say how slow I would drive if in some freak emergency I need to be driving in snow.
ReplyDeleteBut I agree drive with caution because you never know what dink may not be using any caution while driving.