Winter Weather Driving

So about 1:30 today it started snowing outside my office. I had been watching radar and tracking the system. The National Weather Service had issued the Advisories and Warnings either last night or early this morning. It was not a surprise when this stuff came.

One thing that always amazes me is that between snow events, even Illinois drivers forget how to handle winter driving conditions. I left the office at 4:00. There is a major T-intersection 1.5 miles west of my office. When I arrived at the intersection, there was a car on the curb that would have been coming from my left and turning the direction I had come from. As i passed the car, I realized how boned the driver was. For you see, the road was about 50% snow covered and could be slick when trying to turn or start moving or come to a stop. The driver of the car forget to increase their slowing distance and arrived at the intersection WAAAAAYYYY too fast. There is an island at the intersection separating the turn lane from the through lane. Well this driver hit the curb of this island and such a speed that they broke the wheel off of the axle.

Now, I drive a crew cab 4x4 pickup, and I know how to handle adverse driving conditions. No, I am not perfect and I have been in the ditch before. Although, so far, it was not my own vehicle I was driving when I entered said ditch. Anywho. My commute is normally 55-60 minutes one way, depending on traffic lights. Today, it took and hour and 20 because I was stuck behind slow drivers who have no confidence in their own ability to drive, or just plain suck at it and should not be on the road in these kind of conditions.

For most of the drive, I was actually behind a good friend of mine, and I was cussing him for driving too slow in several places (Didn't realize it was said friend until just about the end of the drive).

When the weather gets like this, I wish all the crappy drivers would just get the Hell outa my way.