I live in ND, so the possibility of snow can start in October and go all the way into early May. Despite best efforts, plows can’t always get the roads clear after a hearty snowfall. Uneven pavement, lazy plow drivers that don’t put the blade down, and a host of other things can keep them snow packed and ice covered. There can also be wind and drifts. When it snows, it usually takes a couple days to get roads completely cleaned off.
Last night we had a 4-5 inch snowfall that ended this morning. Given the weather was warming up, I assumed the roads would be somewhat better as I drove 75 miles home from my son’s swim event later in the afternoon.
Things started out OK. Roads were wet from melting snow and chemicals. Every so often there were some small patches of snow, but nothing that was slowing the pace.
Then, as I came over a hill at 70+ mph, I was greeted by a completely snow-covered road just on the other side. At a quick glance, both ditches had cars in them that must’ve come over the hill like I did, only to hit the snow, lose it and ended up sliding off the road. I had no time to try to slow down (never hit the breaks when going over snow like that, it can turn you sideways quick). I gripped the wheel, thought “here we go!” and held on tight. Fortunately, we glided over the snow and back to a wet road. Blood pressure up; speed slowed down.
We will all have those “must get it done” efforts and find ourselves speeding to get them completed ASAP. However, when you move too fast, you can’t react to those inevitable issues that can arise. Sometimes you get lucky and they don’t impact you that much. Other times you can quickly lose control and end up going off the road.
So when you’re moving fast, leave yourself some time to react in the event an issue comes up. No one wants to wind up in the ditch.
Bridge the Gap Consulting, LLC 