Winter Weather and the Driving Experience

As you may or may not have read from Blu, it's snowing. It snowed just enough last night to cover the roads, but not enough that schools and other places would shut down. I took this week off from work, but still woke up early to take The One in to work for her. That started my thinking on the two types of drivers there are in winter weather. People of two varying thoughts and styles, but of the same coin. People who will swear up and down that it is the other that does not know how to drive in these conditions.

The first side is that of caution. The drivers that go just fast enough to keep the car moving. sometimes cutting speed limits in half. The ones that start slowing for their turn at least a quarter mile out. And when they get to the turn they treat it as if they are trying to park the USS Enterprise in a compact car parking spot. They start stopping well before a light turns from green, just in case. Their blinkers that they might not otherwise ever use become their best friend. Turning their blinkers on a full ten seconds before merging into another lane. When driving behind some one there will be enough space and reaction time between them to watch the entirety of Avatar.

The other side is that of apathy or wanton abandon. Speed limits were posted for a reason, and they will continue to follow them or break them as they normally would on clear days. They will weave in and out of lanes to avoid the now suddenly scared drivers that mimic old ladies in their Buicks. They speed through intersections just before red lights appear. They refuse to stop any sooner than right before they need to stop. Drifting becomes an appropriate way to make a turn, never mind the fishtailing that occurs on the back end. When driving behind someone, it is best to be near their bumper in case they need a push.

It may surprise some, including Mother, that I lean more towards the first group than the second. I drive defensively. I slow my pace, leaving earlier than I normally would to ensure that I will make it there in time. My car is clear of snow and ice. I slow well before the point in which I wish to stop or turn. I change how I take turns; no longer do I continue through the turn at the same speed in which I entered, rather I slow down for a complete controlled turn. I make the adjustments that are needed to ensure that my car is not the one in the ditch at the side of the road.

Now the question is, which side of the coin are you?

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