Since Draco passed just north of us, this counted as our first winter storm of the year. Since it was a glancing blow, it only amounted to an inch or two of snow and maybe a bit of ice. Nevertheless, traffic offered the opportunity for nearly everyone I know, including myself, to make the same complaint. Everyone forgets how to drive in winter weather over the summer!
I realized something this week, however. This is one situation where people complain about other people to those peoples' faces without anyone being the wiser. Some people, when they complain about other people forgetting how to drive, are thinking that the bad drivers are the ones who drive too fast in the ice and snow. Some, alternately, think that the bad drivers are the ones who drive dramatically slower in bad weather.
Slow drivers complain about fast drivers and fast drivers complain about slow drivers, and they do it to each others' face. It's a statistical certainty that some of these gripes are between the opposing types of drivers. On top of all of this, everyone assumes that their audience agrees with the right way to drive. The thought is just hilarious.
I typically drive a little faster than the average, so my gripes are usually about the people who drive ten or fifteen miles slower than I think is necessary. There are people who blow by me at speeds I consider ridiculous as well, so that probably goes both ways.
Anyway, It's fun to have something to gripe about once a year.
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2 comments:
When the roads are clear and clean, I'm one of the fastest cars on the road. So it's a little ironic that the opposite it true in bad weather, but there's a good reason for it.
Because I have a small, rear-wheel-drive sports car, I tend to be slower than almost everyone else. Driving home from the airport last night, I was definitely the slowest car on the interstate, as I was passed by many, yet I passed no one. But while it was due in part to possibly overcautious driving on my part, it also was because out of all the cars I saw, mine was literally the least appropriate vehicle for the weather.
At times I felt pressured to speed up as I thought about what others must think and how they were annoyed to have to pass me. But then I would remember that their feelings don't matter in this situation. It would be stupid for me to drive any faster than the speed at which I felt completely safe. And if people had to pass me and swear at me, so be it. I can't be worried about them. I need to worry about getting home without running off the road or getting in an accident. So that's what I did. Slowly and steadily, I eventually made it home, happy to have done it in an incident-free manner. Well, aside from all the incidents of people calling me names, of course.
That's a great point and perspective. There probably isn't enough appreciation for the cars that aren't as well suited for the weather. I'll remember that the next time I'm behind a slow-moving vehicle in bad weather.
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