Lunatic Drivers
Here is my question: Will the 59 car pile up on I-93 yesterday in the middle of a snow storm teach drivers that they should proceed with caution on snowy days, no matter what they are driving? Or will DOT have to continue to defend themselves for not having every road in New Hampshire plowed down to bare, dry pavement from the moment the storm starts?
I don't care how good a driver you think you are, or if you drive a 4 wheel drive vehicle, you cannot control the weather, the road conditions or other drivers. I often hear people saying, "I'm not worried about my driving, it's the other lunatics on the road." Considering how often I hear that phrase, there aren't really all that many lunatics out there. The fact is 4 wheel drive will not stop you from having an accident, especially in slick conditions. 4 wheel drive is for driving through rough terrain. 4 wheel drive may get you out of a snow bank, but won't necessarily keep you from going into it in the first place. The lunatics are the drivers who travel down the highway in a snow storm such as the one we experienced Sunday morning, and go the same speed as they would if they were on dry pavement on a beautiful, clear summer day. My S.O. and a couple of friends drove to Salem on Sunday morning and passed that pile up. He said they were driving 40 down the highway and cars and trucks were passing them as though they were poking along at 20.
The Sunday before Christmas we were driving home from Foxboro in a major snow storm. It took us 4 hours to get home where under normal conditions it takes about an hour and a half. In Nashua on the Everett Turnpike, we came upon no less then 5 plow trucks going north all staggered about a car length between each other plowing the entire width of highway. Two 4 wheel drive vehicles came cruising up behind us, drove right up to the back end of a plow truck then darted between two plow trucks to get around the brigade. I guess wherever they were off to in such a hurry far outweighed the risk they took with not only their own well being, but the well being of the rest of the "lunatic" drivers on the road that day.
The scary thing about people who drive in bad conditions with the attitude that they are in full control and indestructible, are they endanger the lives of those of us who know that the only control that is absolute is our own control over our own decisions and actions. We also know that life is just an eye blink from being snatched away at any moment; we will all meet our end one way or another. I'm hoping mine is not in a horrific accident behind the wheel of my car because of a lunatic driver.
There IS such a thing as control
"Speed!" It's always "speed." But in my daily early morning commute to Boston I am passed regularly by 'speedy' drivers in the left lane who pose little or no threat to me. No, the threat comes from elsewhere: From the drivers who are fearful; who apply the brakes constantly at every real or imagined danger.
Personally I am no speeder. But in my front-wheel drive car with good winter tires I know that Newton's law will reliably apply and I thus keep in motion and avoid unnecessary 'outside forces' such as randomly hitting my brakes.
Yes, I am comfortable being passed on my left, but know from over 40 years of driving on slippery roads that I am also safer getting into that left lane myself than being caught behind an insecure and thus unnecessarily slow driver.
-CbD
You are absolutely right.
Slow, nervous speed is as dangerous as excessive, cocky speed. There is a reason why the highways in our country have speed maximums and speed minimums posted. If driving in foul weather scares you, don't drive in it. But at the same time, do you really think cutting off plow trucks is safe driving? I have no doubt those drivers thought they were well in control otherwise, why risk it?.
I drive a Chevy Malibu. My S.O. drives a Chevy 1500 pick up. Our driveway has just enough of an incline to present a problem every winter. No matter how much or how little snow there is, he can't make it up the driveway unless his truck is in 4 wheel drive. Last year, I had tires that passed inspection without a problem, but where not the best. I could never make it into the driveway when it snowed. So far this year, with a new, good set of tires I've had absolutely no problems. My car does better in the snow then his truck.
My point I guess is that it's not what you drive so much as how you drive. Driving 60 mph, tailgating and weaving in and out of traffic in bad weather is just asking for trouble. I don't have a long commute on a daily basis, but I see this kind of behavior every time there is foul weather.
"But at the same time, do...
"But at the same time, do you really think cutting off plow trucks is safe driving? "
No. But two storms back I was caught behind two such plows on Rt 101- one was doing the medium strip the other the breakdown lane - the actual driving lane was clear. And these guys intentionally made it impossible for anyone to pass them. So there we were in a crowded group of frustrated drivers, doing 20mph mile after mile, when traffic could have been safely spread out doing a risk-free 40. I patiently worked my way up behind the left hand plow and stayed there (In my lane, mind you) only to have the right hand plow come up close and intentionally block a safe pass that did not even require me to leave my lane.
Eventually the plow driver dropped back enough to let me by and I watched as the crowd of more timid drivers, stuck behind the plows, disappeared in my rear view mirror.
Was I being a "bad" or "reckless" or even an inconsiderate driver? I think not. And in fact I was probably the only one who was relatively "safe" for having made this move.
-CbD
Not reckless at all.
From your description, you weren't cutting off the plow trucks, weaving into 2 foot snowbanks between two plows that are traveling approximately 10 feet apart from each other in order to get around them.
I get the impression you are feeling defensive about driving at a reasonable, safe speed and that somehow my blog is aimed directly at drivers such as yourself. This is not the case. From the sounds of it, you drive much the way I do in poor weather. I keep my speed reasonable for what I know I feel comfortable with in such conditions, ie: 40 on the highway if it's snowing at 2+ inches an hour. I, too, would rather pass a DOT plow truck then be stuck poking along behind it (the 4 hours it took us to get home that Sunday was mainly because of all the backed up traffic behind plow trucks), but would do so when it is safe to do so. What we witnessed that evening was not safe by any means. Believe me, my S.O. would have been more than happy to go around those trucks if it had been safe to do so (we were the lead vehicle behind the plow truck in the left hand lane). He was getting a headache and afraid he's suffer an epileptic seizure from all the flashing yellow lights.
I see vehicles pass me on the highway who seem to handle themselves well in poor conditions. But I also have seen them fishtail past me, then suddenly their brake lights come on in front of me because they realize they are not in control. I have also seen the vehicles who whiz past me off on the side of the road a few miles later. And I whole-heartedly agree that slow speed is just as dangerous as fast speed in snowy conditions.
Thanks Terri. You are
Thanks Terri. You are obviously a thoughtful person and you express your convictions well.
Thinking about it I don't know that it is so much that I am personally defensive as it is that I am suffering from Peanut Sensitivity Syndrome - not an allergy to the said legume, but a sensitivity to other people's sensitivity to the same.
I read the piece on your blog and heard (perhaps unfairly) the voice of that flight attendant coming over the intercom again explaining why peanuts were not being served on the flight due to the little boy in seat 13b. ;)~
CbD
ahh, yes, peanuts...
blog fodder for another day!! Did you know that some school children can't even bring a peanut butter sandwich into school in their own lunchbox? I understand the dire circumstances of peanut allergies, but I find it sad that others have to go without because of it.
So glad you've joined our group of voices.
Nice Job Terri...
Gosh darn it Terri ...I constantly find myself agreeing with you lately. Please find something we can argue about...politely of course!
Thanks for a good read!
All those people did not have to be on the road at that time. Many could have waited two hours for the plows. The snow was scheduled to slow down as well, which it did.
Then, there are the people who refuse to slow down just because it's snowing two inches an hour. Their vision and traction are impaired. Maybe they can drive just fine, but they can't react when something happens in front of them.