I went to coffee in Louisville around noon, noticing the dark clouds to the south. Snow was predicted to begin around 4:00. Flakes were floating down when I left to return home just before 3:00. Just north of Lafayette, on 287, I hit blizzard conditions. It doesn't take much snow to cause havoc when there's a little wind. There were cars spinning out, sometimes one renegade vehicle would cause multiple spinning cars. This contagious wildness is common in horses, but I had no idea cars were so suggestible. Sadly, there was a pretty nasty looking accident just south of Longmont. The roads cleared as soon as I got in the city limits. I'm guessing it was a combination of the buildings blocking some of the wind, and that the snow hadn't reached Longmont yet.
I managed to gas up my car and visit the grocery store before going home, so I'm all set for the weekend.
The Norwegians have a saying that there is no bad weather, just bad clothing. I think the same general principle can be applied to drivers. Slow down. Don't do anything quickly. Drive like you have a cup of scalding coffee nestled on your lap. I'm going to broaden my criteria and say that driving with bald tires also makes you a bad driver.
There was a brown mini van heading south that went wildly out of control. I was at that stage where I had taken my foot off the gas and was saying "please, please, please" as I waited for the impact, but the mini van whirled back to the other side of the road and stopped. The driver was facing oncoming traffic but stopped was better than than spinning and, the last I saw, she was headed on her way.
I managed to gas up my car and visit the grocery store before going home, so I'm all set for the weekend.
The Norwegians have a saying that there is no bad weather, just bad clothing. I think the same general principle can be applied to drivers. Slow down. Don't do anything quickly. Drive like you have a cup of scalding coffee nestled on your lap. I'm going to broaden my criteria and say that driving with bald tires also makes you a bad driver.
There was a brown mini van heading south that went wildly out of control. I was at that stage where I had taken my foot off the gas and was saying "please, please, please" as I waited for the impact, but the mini van whirled back to the other side of the road and stopped. The driver was facing oncoming traffic but stopped was better than than spinning and, the last I saw, she was headed on her way.
11:30, headed south
4:00, a little snow in Longmont
You'd think people had never seen snow before! We used to blame it on the Texans and Californians, but now I think it's people with SUVs. They think they can drive on ice as if they had ice tires on their vehicles, which, as we know, don't exist. Until then, I'm in agreement with you. Get some good snow tires and slow down!
ReplyDelete"We have met the enemy, and he is us."
DeleteFrom Odd Bodkins, Dan O'Neill
Had a similar discussion with co-workers this week about various driving habits, and how so many try to blame the vehicles for their own sloppy, inattentive driving skills. As I was raised driving in 2-foot drifts of snow and thick ice covering everything, I find winter driving to be invigorating. It takes me back to my youth. However, blaming the operation of a vehicle on the vehicle itself seems a bit silly. :-) Great post!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Christian. I've been forced to drive in some bad weather the last couple of years, and I find it's perfectly doable. Drivers from the states where it snows a lot, and often, seem to take it all in stride.
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