Beyond my pay grade

[S.A. Boggs]

With last weeks ice, there were two deaths in my country attributed to ice and excessive speed for conditions. Over the weekend the Sheriff took the level from a two to a three, something he has never done. The level when I went to town was a two and I was in four wheel drive, some of the road was still snow covered with many patches of black ice. I was doing 35 in a 55, curvy roads, hilly terrain. It wasn't long before I was at the head of a train, many wanting to go faster then I was. In the last 20 years there have been two death's on this road due to left of center issues. It is not just this road but many others that "village" idiots travel. Anyone have a plausible reason?
Sam

[fjruple]

It's just a generational thing especially those that came on board after 1995. (No magical date there) Many are very well educated but have no common sense. Couple that with an attitude of self importance and entitlement. I would just put my flashers out and pull over until the herd passes and then continue on my journey. You will probably see them later down the road off into a ditch or accident. I would pull over and ask if everyone is all right. Then I normally tell them that they were driving too fast for the road conditions. If no one is hurt I then leave without offering help, you should see the look on their faces when they feel they are entitled for me to pull them out the ditch and I just roll up my window and leave.

[Major Tom]

Every Winter it is the same thing. People in a hurry to go nowhere. They don't leave early to account for road conditions. There is no solution for 'stupid'.

[Marty T.]

Another thing is the ads about cars and tires. If you watch a commercial, the rain and snow are just FLYING off the tires and supposedly they are just zooming down the road in the most awful conditions. BUT, if you read the fine print, they are only running in the 40 MPH range, with the commercial in slow motion. So, everybody THINKS they can run 70 on ice and no problem. Wrong. Even the 4 wheel and all wheel drive might be able to GO, but on ice and wet roads, you still can't STOP any better than any other car.

[m1ashooter]

We are just surrounded by more stupid people is all I can figure out. In Houston we get a lot of rain at times very heavy. I'm amazed at how they never slow down. Maybe I was just taught to do that by my Dad who lived to be 88.

[leftyo]

the problems are usually centered around someone going way too slow, followed by someone going way too fast for the conditions.

[dave]

I notice that most of these people are driving BIG pickup trucks and must think that makes then invincible.

[barretcreek]

Around here most problems involve 4wd. My little p'ups have always been 2wd which behave on snow and ice, drift if they lose traction. 4wd on slick pavement will break away and then grab. Which can leave you 40 feet off of the pavement and a couple hundred above the ground. Amazingly folks survive such lessons.

[togor]

the problems are usually centered around someone going way too slow, followed by someone going way too fast for the conditions.

This.

- - - Updated - - -

And then there are the people who go slow but then stomp on the throttle when someone tries to pass them in a legal passing zone of finite length, which of course makes everyone much safer.

[Sunray]

"...reason?..." They give a DL to anybody who wants one. And the stupid people(includes what you'd call a 'professional driver' too) just can't get it through their heads to slow down and pay attention when driving. Has nothing whatever to do with age either. They just can't drive in crappy weather. First bit of snow up here causes all kinds of stupidity.

[noslack327]

Years ago while operating hand held RADAR, I would not stop you unless you were at least 15 over, and if I could not write a citation every 10 minuets it was non productive and I would change locations, I never had a problem with goal achievement. Once while driving the speed limit on a country road I had about 15 cars behind me, the last car decided to pass all of us, problem for the driver, the oncoming car was a sheriffs car with moving RADAR, Bahahahahaha.

[Allen]

Once while driving the speed limit on a country road I had about 15 cars behind me, the last car decided to pass all of us

Back when I was 16 or so that was the thing to do. We boys would compare notes on how many cars we could pass at one time on 2 lane roads. A friend of mine did 19. The most for me was only 5 or 6 but I wasn't in that contest. Times were a lot different back then. Getting a ticket was not much of a concern. Getting killed was but hey, we were invincible at that age.

[gwp]

Back when I was 16 or so that was the thing to do. We boys would compare notes on how many cars we could pass at one time on 2 lane roads. A friend of mine did 19. The most for me was only 5 or 6 but I wasn't in that contest. Times were a lot different back then. Getting a ticket was not much of a concern. Getting killed was but hey, we were invincible at that age.

About 20 years ago a friend was returning from a motorcycle trip on a section of I70 that was reduced to a two lane section due to construction. A guy tried to pass a long line of cars for what appeared to be a small opening ahead. That small opening was my friend on his motorcycle. Well the guy was able to get to the small opening just in time but he smashed into my friend putting him in the hospital for six weeks with extended recovery and much rehab. The idiot didn't think he had done anything wrong but witnesses let the State Police know what they saw the guy do.

[Dan in NH]

I was a member of the local fire dept. for 27 years. 90% of all accidents during snowstorms involved 4 wheel drive vehicles.

[S.A. Boggs]

I was a member of the local fire dept. for 27 years. 90% of all accidents during snowstorms involved 4 wheel drive vehicles.

We have Jeeps with a go slow policy, people can always pass...when they do I see them spun out on the side of the road.
Sam