2007年6月24日日曜日
Winter Driving
Ok, I'm gonna complain just cuz I can.Where the hell do some people learn to drive in the winter? I've lived the majority of my life in the Northeast, and I still can't belive how stupid some of the drivers are. When it snows, all the 4-wheel drive vehicles come out to play. Unfortunately, some still don't realize that it's STILL a car and it will STILL slide all over the place if you drive like these morons normally do. A few hints for the vehicularly challenged:Big tires don't help you in snow, in fact, they give you less traction because the weight of the car is spread out more. I know this because I have relatively wide tires on my 1500 lb. Sentra. It's sweet on dry roads, but can suck in the snow.SUV's and trucks can get you where you are going more easily, but they definitely don't stop easier. I wish the airhead behind me would have gotten that clue when he/she (gotta give equal credit to both genders here) was tailgating me on Bungay Road. Asshole. Diving in the snow is supposed to be fun (but only as long as I'm the only one on the road) *whew* I feel much betterOn a brighter note, I am happy that my car scaled the hills of Seymour with little trouble.
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I'm glad you survived the snow in the Valley! I'll share your opinion about drivers in those big 4-wheel drive vehicles. While I was driving up the hill (less than a minute from my house), a guy in a Chevy Tahoe decided that I was going too slowly (due to the fact that the road had yet to be plowed even though it was after 3pm). He proceeded to cross the yellow line and pass me up the hill. He freaked me out, so I instinctly gestured to him rudely with my middle finger. As he was pulling ahead of me, he forgot about the little curve in the road before the stop sign and starting sliding all over the road, almost hitting my new car!! His car stopped moving on the other side of the road and I just drove past him, laughing. If I didn't want to get home so badly, I would have pulled over just to watch him try to turn that thing around on the hill.I know, I'm so mean... ;)
Yeah, but assholes aside, you gotta admit that when you're driving down the road and the trees no longer have leaves on them and the ice and snow drape daintily down, it is one of the most majestic sites on this coast. It totally makes up for all those people who can't drive.
So I missed my train to go to the orchestra concert tonight and ended up driving in to Philly. Didn't really want to (car has just over 1000 miles on it now and was just washed this week), but rather enjoyed the trip except for the SUV drivers. This car handles so well in the snow...it's amazing. Even better than the Accord, which I was rather impressed with.I really hate SUVs. I mean REALLY hate SUVs. They serve no purpose that couldn't otherwise be served by a station wagon or even a decently sized sedan. Just because some idiot wants to sit higher than everyone else on the road doesn't mean we need to deal with their gross waste of resources, their enhanced disability to drive, and complete disregard for everyone else on the road. I saw so many of them tailgating (even on the Schuylkill!) tonight it was just plain stupid. Another moron nearly came to a stop for a bump in the road. Yeah, big man in a Land Cruiser couldnt' handle a bit of rough road! Damned idiots, the whole lot of them.My mother has a 4Runner. I tried SO hard to convince her it was unnecessary. She got it to feel safe -- personally, I feel safer in a car that can maneuver quickly and go really really fast with little provocation. Best way to get out of trouble on the road that I know! I bet she stayed home today too. On this one topic, feel free to lump her in with the idiots. I don't understand the logic in getting a "heavy duty" vehicle and then not driving appropriately. Or maybe i'm just cranky from getting blinded by their too-high headlights.
I totaly agree. Unfortunately, I drove home in the dark so I missed the sights from the road. It was fun though to watch the storm cover the landscape from the warmth of my desk at work. I do love the snow (just not when it involves traffic).
If you want to see tailgating, then try driving around this state for a while. I swear it's a pastime around here. And yes, the elevated headlights has to be one of my biggest gripes about the big cars. I end up flipping the mirror more often for SUV's and trucks than for cars with their actual high beams on. Aren't the DMV's supposed to check headlight alignment anymore during inspection? Jeez.
Not mean, fair. That idiot had it coming to him.Soooooo, how does *your* sentra handle in the snow? ;)
that's the thing...they're classified as "Light Trucks" by the federal government and aren't subject to the same emissions, safety, and general specifications that all of us "sane" drivers are subject to.Hence, the environment gets trashed and the roads become significantly less safe for the rest of us while the automakers rake it in.
My Sentra handles like a dream in the snow! Though, when I was cleaning off the car this morning, I noticed a few scratches on the back. Must have been from me cleaning the car off yesterday. Grr! Maybe I can get that taken care of with my first oil change....I still need to name it!
I wish I could have looked at the snow falling from my desk at work. Unfortunately, my back is to the window and I had to keep turning around to see the wonderland of white. Our office is about to be rearranged (again), so I might be lucky enough to get a desk by the window. Then again... there is an awful draft by the windows, so I'll have to decide which is the lesser of two evils - the draft or not being able to see the snow.
Being a native-Connecticut driver, I am proud to say that I do not participate in the "art" of tailgating. I can also say that I absolutely hate it when people do that to me. I'm not sure what possesses people to tailgate. Like following closer makes the car in front go any faster... When I get incredibly pissed off, I'll make sure to follow the speed limit EXACTLY just to make them change lanes. I don't care if they're flashing their lights at me in the rearview mirror to somehow warn me that they're attempting to fly through the traffic. At this point, I'm not accommodating my driving style or jeopardizing my safety just so they can tear down the interstate.
Tailgaters and burly SUVs who think they own the road are bad enough. But I have also encountered plenty of people who have been here for years who are convinced that any small amount of snow merits driving 10 MPH on a 50 MPH road, i.e. the straight part on RT 67 in Seymour the other night. There is simply no excuse for that. I am appalled at the number of chuckleheads out there who have lived here all their lives who simply can't drive in inclement weather. I'm all for driving safely--we all need to be careful--but let's not overdo it here!!
Yes, driving too slow is just as bad. You play a volitile game with inertia when driving in that stuff - not enough momentum and you lose control, too much momentum and you can lose control. Although, I have to admit that during that storm, I never made it over 30 mph (and neither was anyone else) coming home. :D Can't wait till the next one - I need practice with front wheel drive!
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