Utah boasts the greatest snow on earth; and in 2002, we proved it to the world by hosting the Winter Olympics. Every year hundreds if not thousands of snow-enthusiasts flock to Utahs resorts to enjoy the beauty of the mountains and strap pieces of wood to their body in the hopes of screaming down a steep mountain face over and over and over through deep powdery wonderlands. Snow is an integral part of the Utah experience.
However... there is a taint...
It seems that Utah's notorious "bad driving" knows no limits - not even winter storm, black ice, foggy death, wet, limits. Yesterday we had our first bonified snowfall of the season. I was perusing at Goldon Braid Books when it all happened - I looked out the window and what had started as a typically gloom covered day in November was now dotted with flakes the size of my face silently floating from the sky. "It's snowing!!" I exclaimed outloud to myself - but still looked around to see if my yelp had reached some book-wanderers ear and drawn their gaze out the window. Alas! I really did just exclaim to myself - but it was still worth the exclamation (I've realized how much more comfortable I am with talking to myself outloud in public places and not being embaressed when I realize that I've been doing it. Meh... so let them think I'm crazy.... maybe I kinda am).
Well, as those who have lived in "snow-prone" places know - snow is beautiful, but also equals wet slick roads. And to everyone with an resemblance of common sense coursing through there cerebellum that means you should modify your usual "sunny day" driving behaviors to compensate for wet, slick, snowy road. Makes sense right? RIGHT? After leaving Golden Braid Books I needed to venture to Nordstrom for some make-up renewing (huzah!), and proceeded to get on the snowy freeway to do just that. By this time it really was somewhat of a blizzard and the roads were rather slick. But did that stop "that guys" SUV? NO WAY! As you can probably imagine the rant I am building up - lets just say in my journey from downtown to the 53rd South exit I witnessed no less than 5 swerving"close calls" where people where literally shocked their car slide more on wet roads than dry ones, 4 jackasses tailing anyone who even ATTEMPTED to go the speed limit in the "fast lane" (because you realize the fast lane still means GO FAST even if there's icy death on the road), 3 moms in vans chatting away on their cell phone with bouncing brats making faces at passing cars as she wooshed by splaying slush all over everyone, and my personal favorite, the SUV drivers who bob and weave through traffic with looks on their faces like "why are all you people driving cautiously in a blizzard?? I guess you should've purchased a 4 wheel drive anti-death Escalade like me!! HAW HAW HAW!" I hate those arrogant jerks and their holier than thou attitude as they swerve through carefully crawling cars during winter storms. What makes them THINK they are so invincible because they have 4-wheel drive? How do they miss the concept that snow equals wet equals ice equals "use greater caution you idiots because you will die"? I mean - talk about environmental factors seriously modifying behavior... I'm pretty sure these morons drive even faster just to prove to us compact car owners (aka smart people) that not only is their SUV like so all-purpose - but it kicks winters arse!
Thus, though I love the snow and Utah has some of the greatest snow, it's all sort of tainted when you not only have to drive in it, which is stressful, but have to deal with SUV driving jerks who are usually the cause of 2 hour traffic delays because they didn't think that 90mph in the left lane was any different in their awesome car of superhero death defying powers on a dry, bright, sunny July day than a gloomy blizzardy snow fall in November. Go figure. I guess that lesson only truly hits home when they're upside down in a snow bank and the Hyundai Elantra they zipped passed in the rush to be super-awesome-snow-guy honks and waves as she continues on her cautious journey to Nordstrom for make-up renewal. Just sayin... snow-karma.
3 comments:
And that's why this Utah girl now lives in Houston!!! Not to say we don't have more than our fair share of jerks on the road but the odds are better since we rarely see a dusting of snow.
What I find ironic--you put a picture of a car flipped over, but more than half of the post is about SUV's. Just sayin...
I'm not a great snow driver, and I'll admit it, but it drives me batty when cars tailgate me during a snow storm. Why would you do that? And amen to the SUV issue. My brother used to drive the Teton pass every day in his little Nissan Sentra and while he remained safe, the SUV's the flew by him he'd see off the road a few miles ahead. 4x4 doesn't equal one's ability to drive like a maniac.
I didn't care to search to long for an SUV flipped over - so imagine this car flipped over because an SUV cut it off.
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