Winter is Here: It's Time for Everyone to Drive Like Idiots Once More

Even behind the wheel of one of these you still need to drive carefully. Photo courtesy of Land Rover.

I've posted on here before about how you shouldn't be a winter driving idiot, because the message just doesn't seem to be getting through to drivers. Winter is upon us again, at least around here, and yet again I've seen a number of people driving exactly the opposite of how they should.

First off, can I just reiterate that merely having four- or all-wheel drive on your vehicle does not mean you can drive like nothing is going on when there is snow and ice on the roads! I mean you, Subaru drivers, and people flying down the freeway in your Audi, pickup truck, SUV, or all-wheel drive crossover. Just because you have power going to all four wheels doesn't mean you can't spin out.

The single most important piece of equipment you can have on your car for the winter is a good set of tires. If you live somewhere that receives a lot of the white stuff, some snow tires are an excellent choice. The meaner the tread, the more likely your tires will bite into snow and ice, giving you better traction.

The winter also means that the days are shorter, but apparently some people haven't gotten the memo. I've seen multiple people driving around after sundown with no lights on, some of them speeding to boot. Even better are the people who have their parking lights on but not their headlights.

When the weather turns cold, the filaments in light bulbs are more likely to break, which causes a light to burn out. I'm fortunate enough to own a vehicle that tells me when that happens, but other people apparently aren't. You should check all of your lights periodically, especially during this time of the year, to ensure you are visible to other drivers on the road. I've seen several cars where both taillights are completely burned out, making it hard to see the vehicle from behind unless it's braking.

My absolute worst pet peeve is dealing with people who think everyone else should accomodate their "need" for speed when conditions are slippery. These jerks tailgate, swerve and weave through traffic, and in general act like self-consumed teenagers. Those people alone make me hate driving in the snow. I have to admit that a little piece of me wouldn't feel horrible if they wrecked their car on a railing, without injuring themselves or hitting any other vehicles, just so they learn that they aren't above the laws of physics. Is that so horrible of me?