Driving and Weather
When popping out to the supermarket could be the last thing you ever do.
Recently, I was driving under threatening clouds when suddenly the rain started. If you asked me how many times has that happened throughout my 55 year driving record I just couldn’t even imagine. However, on this particular occasion the rain increased in its intensity, so I increased the speed of my wipers and slowed my driving speed. The rain increased even further to the extent of affecting visibility, so I turned on my hazard lights and the rear red light, but the rain became even harder, and heavy.
Traffic became difficult to see and the road markings could hardly be seen. By this time I had slowed to a crawl but I thought I was in danger because of the idiots who would have pushed hard regardless, so I was thinking that perhaps I should pull off the road.
I passed one car that had stopped, and then another, and then I started seeing cars on the other side of the road that had stopped. There was even one motorcyclist, poor fellow, who was huddled over the gas tank. Finally, it was raining so hard that I was unable to see beyond my windscreen wipers, so on instinct, and at a mere crawl I pulled over to my right until I brushed the leaves of a tree and decided that was probably far enough.
Not a soul moved, not even trucks, and there we sat for about fifteen minutes. I have often seen pictures of cars that are under water. I always thought that they were cars that had been parked and left by their drivers, but maybe they got that way because of the circumstances I have described. We were fortunate in that we were at the top of a hill with good run-off for the water, but you can safely bet that there were people who weren’t so lucky.
Driving and sudden intense weather patterns, such as overwhelming rain, hail, wind, snow, ice and tornadoes presents a constant danger to motorists. After those graphic pictures we saw from Japan we have to also add earthquake and tsunami. There is no advice that can be offered, such as know the weather forecast before you go. We simply don’t function like that. I can only hope that you are as lucky as I have been to have had only two encounters of such intensity in my entire experience.
They are not fun! They might also be the end of the line if you are really so unfortunate.
Copyright © 2011 Eugene Carmichael
Recently, I was driving under threatening clouds when suddenly the rain started. If you asked me how many times has that happened throughout my 55 year driving record I just couldn’t even imagine. However, on this particular occasion the rain increased in its intensity, so I increased the speed of my wipers and slowed my driving speed. The rain increased even further to the extent of affecting visibility, so I turned on my hazard lights and the rear red light, but the rain became even harder, and heavy.
Traffic became difficult to see and the road markings could hardly be seen. By this time I had slowed to a crawl but I thought I was in danger because of the idiots who would have pushed hard regardless, so I was thinking that perhaps I should pull off the road.
I passed one car that had stopped, and then another, and then I started seeing cars on the other side of the road that had stopped. There was even one motorcyclist, poor fellow, who was huddled over the gas tank. Finally, it was raining so hard that I was unable to see beyond my windscreen wipers, so on instinct, and at a mere crawl I pulled over to my right until I brushed the leaves of a tree and decided that was probably far enough.
Not a soul moved, not even trucks, and there we sat for about fifteen minutes. I have often seen pictures of cars that are under water. I always thought that they were cars that had been parked and left by their drivers, but maybe they got that way because of the circumstances I have described. We were fortunate in that we were at the top of a hill with good run-off for the water, but you can safely bet that there were people who weren’t so lucky.
Driving and sudden intense weather patterns, such as overwhelming rain, hail, wind, snow, ice and tornadoes presents a constant danger to motorists. After those graphic pictures we saw from Japan we have to also add earthquake and tsunami. There is no advice that can be offered, such as know the weather forecast before you go. We simply don’t function like that. I can only hope that you are as lucky as I have been to have had only two encounters of such intensity in my entire experience.
They are not fun! They might also be the end of the line if you are really so unfortunate.
Copyright © 2011 Eugene Carmichael
