Avoiding the Wreckage: A Primer for Inclement Weather Driving

I love wintry weather.

I love the crisp, cold feeling of the air in my lungs. I love the feeling of the cold wind piercing through coat and clothing alike. I love the fact that, at least after Christmas, people stay inside and I can go out and enjoy places being considerably less crowded. Likewise, I love how the roads are generally less crowded. I love how it makes that special someone that much more inclined to be close to you. I might be a little crazy, but I love the wintry weather.

But I swear, if it merely threatens to look like there might be a chance of a possibility of potential unfavorable weather, everyone in South Texas freaks the hell out and starts running their cars into each other. It's as if the cold weather causes what precious little brain cells the people around here have to say "¡Híjole! Olvide este, jefe. Call when it's warmer; we'll be down in Puerto Vallarta if you need us." That forces them to use the brains they bought at the iPhone Apps Store... Talk about things that make you go 'Bruu...' Sometimes I wonder how people still have vehicles in this city...

D was in another car accident this morning. She was hit from behind in on a "slippery" patch of road. I say "slippery" only because the road was completely dry and clear on my 50ish mile commute, but had the sky decided to spit on that patch of road, it would have been frozen. She's OK thankfully. The Vue is, yet again, a little banged up, but drivable this time. On my way into work today, I must have passed by a dozen wrecks. Each one involving at least 3 cars, and they were all on the on ramp or off ramp of a major street or interchange. All but one wreck, which was cause by people rubbernecking in the fast lane and therefore was off on the left-hand side of the road, just behind the blind side of a curve. -.- I watched as one person slammed on their brakes and slammed into the growing pile. Instead of slamming on the breaks, I just coasted right around them, and saw another person in my rear-view mirror slam into them.

Let me reiterate that the roads I took were clear: no ice, no water, no patches of fog. It was cold and windy to be sure, but the physical road condition was A-OK. I have a hard time believing that every one of those people in the accidents this morning ate lead paint chips while being dropped repeatedly on their heads as children. Maybe a sizable majority, but not all of them, right? I just think they honestly have no clue how to drive in any weather but sunny and 80 degrees. So. for those readers that live and work in Texas or other warm climate, I'm writing this short primer on inclement weather. Listen carefully...

If you're afraid of winter weather, the worst thing you can do is slam on the breaks. Seriously. Plan ahead. Treat each pedal in the car as if there was an egg between your foot and the pedal. Apply no more pressure to that pedal than would break an eggshell. This is THE rule to remember when all other rules have been forgotten. If that means you need to back the hell off someone's bumper to have enough reaction time to slowly decelerate, then do it. It's not like you're gonna get there any sooner by riding someone's ass the whole way. The problem most people have is that they are entirely too close, going entirely too fast and when some dumbass in front of them lives up to their namesake, they have no room for the error. They are forced to slam on the brakes or over-correct their steering. Now who's the dumbass?

But when your car is not mating with the car in front of you, you should have plenty of room to make any maneuver you need without the risk of loosing of control of your vehicle. After you have that #1 rule down, add these to your skill set, and in this order:
-Because your front tires share their traction between braking and steering, coast to decelerate if at all possible. Letting gravity do the work gives your tires the most traction for steering.
-Try to avoid the lanes closest to the entrances and exits to the freeway, moving over about a mile or two from your destination exit. This keeps the lanes used for merging clear of clutter and reduces the chance that someone will merge into you.
-Don't rubberneck at other accidents: the safety distance in front of you is to make up for other people's stupidity, not your own.

As long as you're following the main rule about the eggshell on your pedals, the other guidelines should fall into place: you should have enough room to gently steer your vehicle or slow down without sliding into anyone. And the more people that follow this rule, the faster and safer the traffic can actually move.