I know it’s been a while since my last post…been working a lot of extra shifts at the big boy job and obviously, and unfortunately, that takes time away from my writing. But luckily I’m back with the long awaited, highly anticipated, “Things That Piss Me off about Driving in the Snow, That Aren’t Snow.”
As I’m sure you’ve realized, this has been one heck of a winter in the snow department. I love the snow for many reasons; it’s pretty, it means I can go skiing, I can have snowball fights, etc. However, it also means that people who can’t drive on a normal day are up a creek without a paddle when it snows, and as luck would have it I’m usually stuck behind them. So while I could sum this entry up in two words, “shity drivers,” I will elaborate on said drivers for your comedic benefit.
By far the most prevalent during any snow storm, these people are characterized by excessively slow driving for the given road conditions, oftentimes making excessive use of their break pedals (which ironically enough would only facilitate a crash). These folks somehow come up with a reason to drive well below 50mph on a highway that is down to pavement or less than 20mph on secondary streets that have tire tracks down to pavement.
I was driving home from work on the afternoon that one of these storms was moving in. I had made it to within 20 minutes of my house when I first encountered light flurries. I was 10 minutes from my house when it finally began to accumulate, at least on the side of the road because traffic was blowing what snow landed on the road clear of the roadway. It was also at this point I came upon one of the aforementioned drivers who was so scared by the 0.5 millimeters of snow on the SIDE of the road that he felt 25mph was the maximum safe speed for the 40mph road we were on. Needless to say, I was no longer 10minutes from my home.
The person who lacks any skill anyways driver.
These are the people who suck at driving even on a bright sunny day, they are just more noticeable during a snowstorm. During another storm I was driving home on the highway around 11:30 at night. This time the snow had begun to accumulate considerably but we still had 2 tracks down to pavement in all 3 lanes. I was driving about 40- 45mph in the right lane, not the fastest car out there but not the slowest either. A car comes up and passes me in the 2nd lane and then moves into the right lane. However, I soon catch up to him as he slows to 30mph for no reason. I then pass him again and resume my 40-45mph pace in the right lane. Once again, this idiot comes up and passes me in the 2nd lane and moves back over to the right lane. This time instead of passing him, because the snow is getting pretty heavy, I suck it up and follow him for the last few highway miles of my trip. During these last few miles he drove anywhere between 25 and 55mph with nobody else around him and no change in road conditions to warrant such a range.
Announcements warning drivers to stay off the roads so the plows can do their jobs.
While these announcements make sense in theory to about 9 out of 10 people, they really aren’t all that true in reality. 11 times out of 10, it is the plows holding the drivers up. It’s the plows that are driving 20mph on the highway when traffic could be moving 40-50mph. It’s the plows that are driving 10mph on roads where traffic could be moving 20-30mph. While I agree that people who don’t need to be out during a storm shouldn’t, don’t tell me to stay home because I’ll interfere with plowing operations.
The weekend warrior’s pickup truck with yellow light.
While it is a great idea for every plow to have some sort of warning light to protect himself while working, you don’t need to drive everywhere with it on. When it snows, every Tom, Dick, and Harry with a plow and a yellow strobe light is out driving around in their pickup truck like they are some sort of badass. They don’t have the plow down, they aren’t dropping sand, they are just driving around with that damn light on. You don’t see cops driving around in blizzards with their strobes going 24/7, neither should you. And they wonder why so many private plows get hit while actually plowing; I know, its because you had the yellow light on, I thought you were driving not plowing.
I know, I know, we all think our town has the worst DPW especially when it snows. However, I’m quite sure you can’t top some of these accounts. This winter it became commonplace to find snowpacked roads in Rehoboth. It didn’t matter if it was the busiest road or some side street; they were all completely covered in packed snow. The best part was whenever you got to any town line they were all down to pavement, again regardless of how busy the street was. It’s as if the plows attached to each truck are for decretive purposes only. On several occasions I have seen trucks driving in 3 inches of snow with their plows up, dropping sand like it’s supposed to help.
Like I said, I love the snow but hate the idiocy that comes with it.
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