It is Just a Little Snow!

It is just a typical Midwestern winter's day. You look out your window and you see a light dusting of snow on the ground and covering your car. You plan to give yourself maybe fifteen more minutes to get to work, but the roads shouldn't be that bad. Yeah, maybe they are a little wet, but nothing the average driver cannot handle. In most cities and even rural areas across the Midwest, this is the case. Anything under eight inches of snow should be too detrimental. In some places even a foot of snow only slightly slows things down. However, if you live in Indianapolis, or basically anywhere in Central Indiana, may God have mercy on your soul.

I grew up in Northwest Ohio, and I went to school in Michigan. Both places receive a fair amount of snow each year. It is just something you learn to deal with. Even with driving a compact car, I really haven't had many "snow issues" to speak of. I've had a few freezing rain slip ups, and I may have even been stuck in the snow once. However, it was nothing a snow shovel couldn't handle. Even my freezing rain slide offs were in the country and not in the city. I am not the best driver by any stretch of the meaning, but I still know how to handle the roads responsibly and with out too much drama.

Yes, when the pavement is snow covered, icy and wet, you need to drive slower. It is a good idea to leave a little more room between you and the car ahead of you. Brake gently to help you maintain control of your vehicle. When the weather has warranted it (IE: about a foot of snow topped off with another three inches of freezing rain), I have been content to hang in the slow lane and take my time getting somewhere. However, I just don't understand why even a dusting of snow nearly paralyzes the Indianapolis Metro Area.

Suddenly, people are driving 5-10 mph in 35-45 mph zone. This isn't just in the slow lane. No, it is in both lanes. There are slide offs everywhere, and more accidents than really should happen. I'm all for giving yourself a little more stopping time, but really braking a good quarter mile before the red light is not needed. This is especially true when you are only going 7 miles an hour.

I've been out with friends when it has started to snow. When I insist on driving myself home, they think I am crazy. It is just snow. I can easily drive in just snow. If it is freezing rain and I know the salt trucks haven't been out yet, I'll weigh my options a little more carefully. However, even with my hate of freezing rain, I know how to take precautions to try and keep myself safe. I've been at work and then mention of six inches of snow over night has prompted speculation of a snow day. Yes, you read that correctly, they are hoping for snow day for six inches of snow? Okay maybe if there is some decent freezing rain included, but just for snow?

I joked with a co-worker (who teaches defensive driving...an added twist), that they must not teach drivers ed in the winter time. I know this isn't true (I've been stuck behind a student driver or two in the winter alone), but the way most Indianapolis drivers freak out, I have to wonder why this isn't a skill people have just learned. It isn't like this is Florida folks. It is Indiana. We have cold winters and we get snow. Yeah states like Minnesota and Wisconsin and even Michigan put out temperatures and snowfall to shame, we really should be more prepared.

Maybe I was just spoiled by living in a small town where the roads were plowed within hours of the snowfall in most cases. However, I still had to brave the drifted over country roads to get to school and work (up hill both ways of course). When I was in school, they would of course plow all our cars in, but the parking lots were clear. They would tunnel paths through the snow so we could get from building to building. Once again, maybe I'm just spoiled. Still, I can figure out why only four hours south things have to be so complicated.