Winter Drivers

It’s been a pretty tough winter so far. But for once in my life, I’m feeling pretty zen about the winter weather. This year, for some reason, I am not taking every snowstorm personally.

Maybe it’s because I don’t have to commute to work through it anymore. My everyday commute now involves shuffling my slippered feet around the corner from the kitchen and into my little home office. (I must be important – they gave me a corner office with a window!) Sure, I have to share with a wheezy old Labrador Retriever with gas issues and a snoring problem, but I guess that’s okay. Gives me someone to chat with over the water bowl, uh, cooler. Also encourages exercise, as it’s necessary to leave the room on a regular basis to get a little fresh oxygen.

Anyway, much of the time I’m able to avoid driving when the roads are really bad. Unfortunately, the other day I had to drive downtown for an appointment.

It was a slow and slippery ride, but I got there and back safely – no thanks to one heedless speedster in his SUV who didn’t mind tailgating me all the way up the street. It was pretty annoying. Surely, I kept thinking, it’s just common sense to adapt your driving style to the conditions.

Unfortunately, careful drivers can take all the care they like, but it’s the lowest common denominator – and a bit of being in the wrong place at the wrong time – that can mean the difference between a safe drive home and getting rear-ended at the next red light.

My SUV-guy brought to mind a few of the bad winter driving habits I’ve witnessed so far this year, and the attitude that seems to go with those habits.

Careless Winter Driving Attitude #1: All I need is a little peephole and I’m good to go.

You’ve seen this person too, no doubt. His or her car is covered in snow and all they’ve cleared before driving off is a tiny little hollow on the windshield. The side and rear windows – not to mention the majority of the front windshield – are still buried. Being able to see is, apparently, for chumps. Anyway, it’ll all blow off once they get going, right? Good luck if they pull out blindly in front of you, or if you’re behind them and a big honkin’ chunk of ice blows off right in your path.

Careless Winter Driving Attitude #2: I have four-wheel-drive so I can go as fast as I want.

Okay, it can be argued that these vehicles could have a bit of a traction advantage (in some conditions) over those without four-wheel drive (presuming they have four winter tires on the vehicle), but that doesn’t give these drivers license to create hazards for everyone else. Overconfident drivers who pull out in front of others as if conditions are normal create a braking hazard for the rest of us. Not to mention that they don’t have nearly as much control over their own braking as they seem to think they have. It can take up to twelve times further to stop on snow and ice than on dry pavement – and there are no special allowances for SUVs.

Careless Winter Driving Attitude #3: I have four-wheel-drive so you should go as fast as I want.

Here’s where my tailgater comes in. Look, if I’m going too slowly for you it’s because I’m driving at a speed I consider safe for the conditions. So BACK OFF. You aren’t going to get there any sooner by driving all up on my rear bumper. Also, I do not share your faith that you won’t come sailing through my back window when you hit that patch of black ice.

Putting all sarcasm aside for a moment (trust me, that’s hard for me to do), there are lots of sites with really good winter driving tips and actual useful advice if you’re interested in checking them out. The Canada Safety Council has information at safety-council.org/info/traffic/winter.htm .

Read up. You may still need these tips in July.

(This item was previously published in my weekly column "Don't Get Me Started" in the HRM West Community Herald.)