Tuesday 16 December 2014

s'no problem

There are lots of reasons not to like winter, but one of the worst would have to be driving on winter roads.  More specifically, other people driving on winter roads. 

These are the worst kinds of drivers you'll more than likely encounter in the winter.


People Who Drive Too Fast
For those of you who don't know, a speed limit is the speed at which road vehicles may legally travel on a particular stretch of road under ideal driving conditions.  Take note of that last part.  If the roads are covered in snow, ice, or slush, and visibility is poor, those are not ideal driving conditions.  Therefore, it is a stupid idea to go over the speed limit.




People Who Don't Clear the Snow Off Their Car
I don't care how late you are for work, you're going to be a lot later if you end up in a body bag (too dark?).  Even though it's a pain, clear all of the snow and ice off your hood, roof, windows, lights, and mirrors before driving.  If you don't, you're putting others at risk as well as yourself.  Not only can it reduce your own visibility, ice can fly off your car and hit other drivers or even pedestrians while you drive.  Don't be an ass.


People Who Refuse to Get Snow Tires
Winter tires exist for a reason.  Yes, they cost money; yes, you have to go through the trouble of putting your car into a garage to get them installed; and yes, you could kill yourself or somebody else if you choose to drive on summer (or even all-season tires) during the winter.  Yeah that's right, all-season tires are not safe for winter.  All-season tires do not have cold weather rubber compounds, channeling tread patterns, nor the open tread block pattern for deep snow traction.  You can argue until you're blue in the face, but you will not convince me that all-season tires are not suitable for the winter.


People Who Tailgate
Contrary to what surprisingly seems to be popular belief, rear-end collisions are nearly always the striking driver's fault.  Basic traffic laws mandate a driver must be able to come to a safe stop if the vehicle ahead stops or slows down.  Even in perfect weather conditions it's important to keep a safe distance from the car in front of you, but this rule becomes critical in nasty winter weather.  It doesn't matter if you're an experienced driver who has never had an accident before, it only takes one patch of ice or mushy snow piled up to create a problem and leave you without enough room to slow down or maneuver out of a collision.



People Who Rely Too Heavily on Their Brakes

It's a knee-jerk reaction to slam on the breaks to avoid a bad situation on the road.  In the winter, however, slamming on your breaks will only hurt the situation.  Slippery roads require more careful braking and require you to start braking much earlier than you would on a dry road.  Don't be stupid; pay attention so you won't have to slam on the brakes.  Candy Crush can wait.


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