Snow blamed for 650-plus Accidents

The above title is the header of an article, by Stan Finger, in this morning's Wichita Beacon.  It explains, a bit, my end of the comment thread between Adele and me under Bunny's Misadventure.  From the article, I excerpt a few bits, below.

"The first winter storm to hit Wichita this season delivered less than 2 inches of snow to the area--but more than 650 accidents." [Mr Finger fails to mention that under, over, and throughout the layer of snow were layers of ice.]

"Authorities didn't hide their frustration Wednesday.

""It was a tougher storm than we thought it was going to be....Twelve inches of snow is probably easier to deal with than that was."

"...north winds gusting above 40 miles an hour reduced visibility and kept reglazing streets and highways that had just been treated.

"Many motorists seemed to pay no attention to the weather at all...."It was idiotic, [Kansas Highway Patrol spokesman] said.  "Ive never seen it that way."

"....he said, motorists were flying along the turnpike as if it were a dry summer day.

"One motorist on the turnpike was clocked at 80 miles an hour through the snowstorm, [the spokesman] said, and another at 75.

"Two people died in storm related accidents around the state Tuesday...."

"Two KDOT [Kansas Department of Transportation] trucks were hit and damaged...more than one trooper was nearly struck by vehicles while they were working accidents.

"Troopers began parking a second patrol car near the first marked unit on the scene to provide some protection, [the spokesman] said, but traffic was regularly ignoring the flashing lights.

""People were just flat running into everything you could find--guard rails, light poles...there were people sliding off ramps," he said.

"Tuesday ranks among the worst examples of winter weather driving he has seen in his 21 years as a state trooper...."

If a person doesn't have to be out and about, one can best serve by staying at home with her car in the garage!  Today, I'm going to try to walk my bicycle out to the street so that I can get in some exercise.  I believe that the bicycle path that passes within 1/3 mile of our house is probably clear of ice.

Comments

[Adele Humphreys]

Why on earth do some drivers act so stupidly! I can remember crawling down a motorway at about 15 miles an hour in thick, thick fog, so thick you could hardly see beyond the windscreen and some drivers were belting along at very fast speeds when they couldn't have seen at all. All right if they want to kill themselves but they kill others as well.

I agree that in weather like you describe the best place to be is indoors. Today after a heavy frost everything is white and shows no sign of thawing. It looks pretty but it's going the be so slippery under foot, really treacherous.

[Cop Car]

I don't know, Adele, what makes us behave as we do at times. Usually, around here, people drive with a modicum of sanity in foul weather.

During my bicycling, it turned out that neither the streets nor the bike path was as clear as I had surmised. Patches of 50 - 100 feet of frozen slush were frequently encountered. I nearly put the bike down, at one point; but, having two good legs, I was able to stop our fall and walk the bike out of that patch.

Take care in your treacherous conditions!

[Hattie]

In the days when I lived with snow and slush and ice I was super-cautious. Aren't people aware of everyday dangers any more?
Oh, and do people get snow tires? Maybe they can't afford them.

[Cop Car]

Hattie--In our neck of the woods, I think it is safer not to have snow tires, unless one uses them only on the days when we have deep snow. We don't get enough snow for snow tires to be useful, and the drawbacks are that they are not helpful on ice (which was the problem with this particular storm--and most of our winter storms) and that snow tires tend to overheat at highway speeds causing premature tire failures. Chains might have been somewhat effective; but, no one seems to use them, anymore (I, at least, have owned chains but have never put them on my tires!)

If I had to guess, I would guess that we have become so lulled by the little safety machines that vehicles have become that we tend to feel like teenagers--indestructible.