Snow days, yay or nay?
So how do you spend a snow day?
Some people can work from home and of those people, I am envious! But, seriously, those of us in media really do need to get out and experience the conditions before we can truly decide how to report on them.
Others have to take a day because their kids are suddenly home for the day and somebody has to look after them. Last minute contingency plans aren’t always possible especially when people are having trouble getting around.
When I was a kid growing up in rural Smithville, if the buses didn’t run, we got a ride in to school. Some parent, if not my own, would call around and make the offer to drive as many kids as possible into town. So we only cheered if the school itself was shut for the day. My Mom was no fool! She didn’t want two preteens kicking around the house all day if it could be helped and my Dad always had winter-ready trucks for his business, so there was rarely an opportunity to get a true snow day. I only really remember a few days off during the blizzard of 1977, but that was a very special storm.
Like you, I’m sure, I wish many people whose cars aren’t equipped for the weather and whose skills aren’t up to the job, would simply stay off the road instead of thinking themselves invincible and putting us all at further risk. But that’s just not going to happen!
If you’ve been given the right to drive you’ve been given the right to drive when you really shouldn’t, I suppose. I learned to pilot a motor vehicle, including parallel parking, in an extended crew cab pick-up and I took Young Drivers training - both developments I believe serve me well to this day. But I’m not perfect! I just believe I see a lot of felow drivers who are less perfect than me. And I’m sure they see drivers who are worse than them, and so on and so on until someone sees another vehicle actually in a ditch!
February 7th, 2008 at 2:36 pm
Hi Lisa.
Just had to state my appreciation of your thoughts on winter equipped cars - or the lack of. I have my AWD Volvo fully prepared for winter driving, complete with expensive winter tires on separate wheels. Likewise, my wife’s car is fully equipped for winter as well.
This morning I was sitting beside a FWD car with a donut spare on the front-right corner. In addition, the rear tire looked quite worn.
I can accept that many drivers will not spend the energy or money on winter equipment but I don’t understand what this person was thinking this morning. While I am certainly not perfect myself, I couldn’t help but feel some frustration in having to share the road with this poorly equipped car/driver.
Thank you.
Mike
p.s. I enjoy listening to you and Paul - great work.
February 8th, 2008 at 10:51 am
“I wish many people whose cars aren’t equipped for the weather and whose skills aren’t up to the job, would simply stay off the road instead of thinking themselves invincible and putting us all at further risk.”
I don’t usually say this, but amen to that. It’s a wonder how half the people on the roads even got their license. Maybe the process needs to be a little tougher than what it’s at now. There is nothing out there that says you must take driving school lessons even though I believe it would benefit everyone.
I took Young Drivers and I can definitely see the difference between fellow Young Driver grads and those who opted for either no lessons or lessons from a cheapo school. Most people seem to forget that driving a car is a privilege, not a right.