You know how idiotic those Lower Mainland drivers look whenever it snows?
The ones who take to snowy roads, nervously rushing through traffic to get to a destination as soon as possible, only to slam on the breaks while rushing to a red light, which sends the car's bald summer tires into a death skid and oncoming traffic, which, in turn, careens out of control to keep the crash cycle going until the street is a chaotic mess of dented vehicles and prolonged gridlock.
We in the North smugly sit back and laugh at the inexperienced, inept and intrepid Vancouver driver who rarely sees snow, and can barely navigate its perils.
And yet...
Any minute now we'll be seeing the white stuff come down in droves, and, as always happens this time of year, the rate of accidents will spike.
In the north-central region, the rate of casualty crashes attributable to driving too fast for road conditions more than doubles in December compared to October - from 29 to 61 on average.
The casualty-crash rate across the province averages 183 in October, but goes up to 357 in December.
It doesn't need to be this way.
So what causes this jump in numbers?
There are always going to be some crashes that are just a confluence of freak occurrences and couldn't be helped.
But the vast majority of crashes are a result of ridiculous oversights that leave emergency workers and good drivers shaking heads and saying northern folks, of all people, should know better.
Prince George-area drivers should know, for instance, that roads can go from bare to slippery in a matter of minutes caused by the sun's progress across the sky, the presence of shadows, the elevation changes while driving, weather systems arriving and departing, etc.
Drivers should know they must constantly monitor the conditions of the road and drive accordingly.
And to those drivers who have already installed their winter tires, you are to be
commended.
To those who haven't, don't wait until the imminently awaited winter weather before you call your mechanic. Waiting until it's dangerous to drive is just tempting fate. And it's more likely that by then, you'll be on a wait list a week long, which just prolongs that danger.
And to those who just naturally drive 20 kilometres an hour slower in terrible weather, you are to be commended.
To those who only remember what it's like to try stopping on icy roads after going into a death skid, it's time to wake up.
Before making an irresponsible move you will always regret, go ahead and install winter tires, leave early, take your time, and if people berate you for showing up late, tell them you were busy saving lives.
Who's going to argue with that?
-- Prince George Citizen
