I Could Easily Have Killed Him
I hope you will read this. I don't mean to sound like a scold, but someone is still alive tonight with only inches to spare.
The old timers call them "snow ghosts." A combination of blowing snow and road temperatures below the freezing mark produce what look like wisps of smoke snaking across the highway surface. This apparition-looking phenomenon is a good indication that the road surface is frozen and ice patches may abound. The snow ghosts were out in force today, so most of the large trucks from Battle Creek, Michigan on down to Dayton, Ohio were taking their time. Not so with the cars.
A nasty accident on I-75 close to Dayton shut down the south bound lanes for over an hour. On the CB, truck drivers were doing what they usually do, telling jokes and starting fights. One driver observed that the cars that were darting from one lane to the next, sometimes to the shoulder of the highway and back to another lane, apparently believed that the 10 seconds these maneuvers might save them were of vital importance. One driver of a little car, a Geo Metro I think, was going positively ballistic. Once the accident was cleared from the highway, a driver yelled, "And they're off!" into the microphone, and traffic resumed at a subdued pace.
My rig was in the right lane and another 18 wheeler was in the middle lane, but further behind me. The truckers in front of us were warning us that the bridge we were about to cross was covered by a solid sheet of ice. The truckers behind us were warning us about that little Metro that was still darting through traffic, but gaining speed.
Murphy's Law being more reliable than any other law on the books, our little dare devil in the Metro took the left lane to get around everyone as we approached the bridge. In my mirror, I saw the rig in the center lane slow down as he evidently sensed what was about to happen. As we hit the iced over bridge, the driver of the Metro swerved into the center lane and lost control. His car went into a spin that brought him toward my trailer right between my tractor tires and the trailer tires. I was on solid ice, so I couldn't apply the brakes for fear of losing control with my trailer passing me up and knocking him around like a pinball. All I could do was take my foot off the throttle, hold her steady and watch. He came within inches of going under my trailer where he would have been crushed by 78,000 pounds of steel and Gerber baby food. The truck in the center lane had already established sufficient following distance, and put his four-way flashers on, to safely bring traffic to a stop. Our Metro driver managed to avoid hitting anything and came to a stop, sideways, across the interstate. I was in front of this fiasco by that point and proceeded slowly while asking the other truckers if everyone was okay. They were, and the other drivers told me that, once off the bridge, our Metro driver slowly pulled off the right shoulder, presumably to change pants.
I was mightily tempted to circle back and check on him myself. I wanted to make sure he was alright, and then smack him into next week. But I didn't. I suspect the event was traumatic enough to get his attention, at least for a few minutes.
In the fighter pilot world, they call it "Situational Awareness." It simply means avoiding tunnel vision by maintaining awareness of what is going on around you, and it is just as applicable to driving as flying. Folks, I'm pleading with you, please drive smart out here. I'm sure you want to get to your destination safely, and I'd like to get home in one piece too. The few seconds you might save by cutting someone off are not worth a life, are they?
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May '10
Re: I Could Easily Have Killed Him
...and yet that's not enough to remind some people not to drive like maniacs when it's cold and snowy. I-75 between Dayton and Cincinnati is the only thing that's ever given me reason to think "Maybe that passenger rail boondoggle wouldn't be so bad." That's to say nothing of the maniacs up nearer the Michigan border.
Glad everything's ok, Dave!
Re: I Could Easily Have Killed Him
Jason, that's the thing that gets me as well. People see the accidents, the ambulances, wreckers, and police. Yet they pick up exactly where they left off, hell-bent for destruction it seems.
Edited on Dec 1, 2010 at 7:27pmJul '10
Re: I Could Easily Have Killed Him
Jason Hart
...and yet that's not enough to remind some people not to drive like maniacs when it's cold and snowy. I-75 between Dayton and Cincinnati is the only thing that's ever given me reason to think "Maybe that passenger rail boondoggle wouldn't be so bad." That's to say nothing of the maniacs up nearer the Michigan border.
Ouch!
Dave, today is imbecile day in MI (and OH btw). It's the first snowfall, and the fools don't remember last year, the year before that, and so on. Everyone will be more cautious tomorrow. If you have a delivery in the Midwest a week from now the number of fools will be drastically smaller.
Take care, and good luck.
May '10
Re: I Could Easily Have Killed Him
My daughter got behind the wheel for the first time over the TG holidays, but I've been talking her through my driving for the past two years. Much of the talk is situational awareness. Living in NYC I used the roads in four ways: driving a car, riding a bike, rollerblading and walking. Most people only do one of these things on any given roadway, and thus have only that perspective. There is a lot to be aware of out there. Another critical driving lesson: don't be in a rush. The few minutes you might save are not worth your life, or the life of a other.
May '10
Re: I Could Easily Have Killed Him
My driver's ed teacher taught me a lesson, apparently very well, because over two decades later I have not forgotten it. He said there's no such thing as an "accident"; there are only crashes. He wouldn't even allow the word.
Sep '10
Re: I Could Easily Have Killed Him
Dave,
Do you find that drivers in the states with reliably colder climes during the winter (North Dakota, Minnesota) have a more sensible average driver, or do you sense that imbeciles are randomly distributed everywhere?
Jun '10
Re: I Could Easily Have Killed Him
There's an old saying: "Drive like hell, you'll get there." Too bad they have to drag so many others with them.
May '10
Re: I Could Easily Have Killed Him
Believe it or not, there are still towns where people drive under the speed limit. So annoying!
Glad to hear everyone's alright, Dave. I suppose the practice will keep you sharp.
Aug '10
Re: I Could Easily Have Killed Him
Dave Carter:
The old timers call them "snow ghosts." A combination of blowing snow and road temperatures below the freezing mark produce what look like wisps of smoke snaking across the highway surface. This apparition-looking phenomenon is a good indication that the road surface is frozen and ice patches may abound.
I've always loved to watch snow ghosts (which is how I thought of them, too, without ever hearing the term). They're so beautiful.
And now I also know what they mean.
Thanks Dave.
May '10
Re: I Could Easily Have Killed Him
Dave - Glad you are safe. May I ask , are snow ghosts the same as black ice?
I don't know how you guys drive in the snow and ice of the Northern climes. Here is Australia, the worst we get is when we head off skiing; and yes idiots are in abundance there going too fast and sliding off mountains,having no training nor experience of how to drive in the snow.
Still - we get bush fires, 120kph winds, and heatwaves of 115F. Once you have driven through one of those you get to see one earthly hell, instead of the Nordic one.
Edited on Dec 2, 2010 at 5:37amRe: I Could Easily Have Killed Him
Psuedodionysius, as to the distribution of imbeciles, I see a few geographic trends. First, colder climes contain drivers that are better at driving in, well, colder climes (who would've thunk it?). Second, urban drivers tend to be more impatient and therefore more dangerous than their rural counterparts. And even that can be broken down by region, and you probably know where I'm going with that thought. Let's just say that there are valid reasons why almost ever professional driver out here assiduously avoids the northeast.
Re: I Could Easily Have Killed Him
David, no sir, black ice and snow ghosts are not the same thing. Black ice is actual ice, but due to light conditions and road tar, dirt, etc., it may not be readily visible, hence the term. The ice on that bridge, for example, was only visible due to the reflection of headlights. In daylight, the ice may have been indistinguishable from pavement. Snow ghosts, on the other hand, are the misty wisps of white vapor blowing across the road. But when you see them, it's a safe bet that black ice is present. Now, as to heat waves and high winds, let me know next time you drive through Cajun country during hurricane season. I'll buy the coffee!
Sep '10
Re: I Could Easily Have Killed Him
David Kube: Still - we get bush fires, 120kph winds, and heatwaves of 115C. Once you have driven through one of those you get to see one earthly hell, instead of the Nordic one. · Dec 2 at 4:28am
Edited on Dec 02 at 04:29 am
I had to bring up my handy-dandy converter-of-everything widget and plug in 120kph--74.56mph--ok so far. But 115 degrees C came up as 239 degress F. Where do you reside again?
May '10
Re: I Could Easily Have Killed Him
Dan Holmes
David Kube: Still - we get bush fires, 120kph winds, and heatwaves of 115C. Once you have driven through one of those you get to see one earthly hell, instead of the Nordic one. · Dec 2 at 4:28am
Edited on Dec 02 at 04:29 am
I had to bring up my handy-dandy converter-of-everything widget and plug in 120kph--74.56mph--ok so far. But 115 degrees C came up as 239 degress F. Where do you reside again? · Dec 2 at 5:24am
On Mercury?? :-)
I meant 115F, and given I have to switch between metric and Imperial measures every time I deal with North America, I made a risible mistake. My father was on the Metrification Board in Australia, and now will never forgive me for that obvious stuff up.
Edited on Dec 2, 2010 at 7:17amAug '10
Re: I Could Easily Have Killed Him
So if the Northeast has all those people, but almost every professional driver avoids it, how do all those people get their stuff delivered?
May '10
Re: I Could Easily Have Killed Him
Meanwhile, in the Deep South, people somehow manage to forget what to do every time we get a tropical rain.
The first day I ever drove my own car, I was in the left turn lane at a light when some idiot gunned it through the wet intersection, spun around, and hit both the cars in front of me. A couple weeks later, the same thing happened (at a different intersection), only this person hit both the cars behind me. I knew then that I was a target.
Oct '10
Re: I Could Easily Have Killed Him
Fighter pilots might call it situational awareness but those of us who ride motorcycles think of it as self-preservation. Being that exposed makes me hyper-aware of what's happening all around me and it's often interesting to pick out the drivers who will make a really bad decision in 3...2...1.... I've predicted a few collisions several seconds before they happened - which can be a handy thing if you don't want to get caught up in it.
Re: I Could Easily Have Killed Him
MFR, those people up there get their stuff by way of two magic words: "Forced Dispatch." Company drivers go where they are told, protests notwithstanding. That's how I ended up actually parallel parking my rig on Park Avenue a few years ago, but that's a story for another post. My company does pay us a little extra if we have to go into NYC, ...sort of like Hazardous Duty Pay. But ultimately, we go where we are sent.
May '10
Re: I Could Easily Have Killed Him
Situational awareness seems to be missing in all areas of life and not just driving. I admit I like to travel at a speed that is slightly higher than the speed limit (never more than 10 mph over) in normal conditions but never in snow, ice or heavy rain. My main pet peeves on the road, however, are those who slam on the brakes 1) whenever they see flashing lights regardless of the color of those lights and 2) at the slightest bit of moisture and 3) while not paying attention or lost. These people are just as much a danger as those like the person in that Geo Metro. I think in either case, a lot can be attributed to thinking that you are the only person on the road.
Dave Carter, as someone who has probably traveled most if not all of our country's interstates, you must be familiar with the intersection of Interstates 81 and 83 just outside of Harrisburg Pennsylvania. It is a heavily traveled truck route that I regularly travel. I would say there is probably at least one car crash a day in that vicinity due to the lack of situational awareness.
Re: I Could Easily Have Killed Him
Mike, I'm very familiar with that area. The Carlisle area is a major hub of truck activity. It can be treacherous. I was there last winter as well when they had three feet of global warming on the ground. I was wading through the stuff, with snow clear up to my gagootsy. Nice people, though.