Napkin Notes: Winter Driving — Here We Go Again

This morning we awoke to new snow and a thin crust of ice all over the roads. In spite of the fact that we live in Idaho, where people are expected to know how to drive on the stuff, the first real snow is always accompanied by a sharp learning curve as the denizens of the city by the lake get their bearings. People seem shocked to realize all over again that driving the posted speed limits may render you unable to stop in time to avoid hitting the car in front of you, and that anti-lock brakes and snow tires are no substitute for caution on the icy streets. Slow and steady wins the race, the saying goes, and I was glad I remembered it today as I inched past several fender benders and a string of police flares around a white van mysteriously flipped over on its side — Katrina /Notes on a Napkin.

DFO: I’ve been running studless so far this winter — just to see if it’s me. Or you. No close calls so far, other than a fool kid in an SUV who took the corner too fast at Best & Honeysuckle, almost hit a telephone pole, and then gunned the four-wheeler out of the snow drift, laughing all the way. Locals are worse than newbies when it comes to the first snow and winter driving. They’re too cocky.

Question: Why are drivers so clueless when it comes to getting around after the first snow?