Ok, first off, I like snow. The white fluffy stuff is pretty. Makes my yard look nice. Not to mention that I used to be an avid snow boarder. I snow-blow my driveway/sidewalk and two of my neighbor's driveways & sidewalks. I even used to do it for free, but now I get a little money for my work. (Almost too much - the little old lady two doors down gives me money, and I feel guilty - like I'm stealing
What urks me is how other people deal with snow. For example:
1.
Snow blowing on the street. I see guys with mondo-huge snow blowers moving the snow off their sidewalks and driveways and spraying it onto the road. (Which, BTW, is illegal in most towns in NJ) They can just as easily pile it up on their lawns. These are probably the same folks who complain about the town's street snow removal program. Geez - it's not gonna do any harm to pile snow up on your front lawn.
2.
Not clearing off the car of snow. You know the folks - they clear off a 2 inch by 3 inch square on their windshields and away they go. No need to clear the rear window - that way said driver won't have to worry about the 20 car train he's leading! But the blizzard effect he generates as he drives with 1 foot of snow atop his car will slow them down anyway.
3.
Driving in the snow: Let's face it folks, if you're gonna go out in snow, YOUR CAR'S GOING TO SLIDE. It is inevitable! You are driving on a very, very slippery surface. So you have three options here:
a.
DEAL WITH THE SLIDING. Most cars these days have some kinda AWD or traction control system, especially the honkin' SUV's. USE IT! If the back end slides a little, countersteer, apply throttle, and voila! The car will straighten itself out. DRIVING 3 MPH to prevent slippage is NOT the proper way to drive - it is both dangerous and annoys the heck out of people who actually WANT to drive somewhere! And another thing - after the roads are cleared, and the temps are warmer - the roads are WET, not ICY. There is no need to drive 5 mph on a straight, wet road. Yeah, it's fine to proceed with caution, but geez - there's no need to slow down that much!
b. On the other hand, don't drive like it's a dry summer day. The roads are slick - expect to slow down, and adjust your stopping distances. Don't be surprised if your car spins out on the off-ramp you take as fast as you do in the summertime.
c. If you don't want to deal with the sliding, then
STAY OF THE FREAKIN' ROAD! If you are so scared of a little slipping and sliding, then don't even go out there. Call your boss up and take the day off. Then you can go out there and shovel the snow that you just threw out onto the street!
End rant.
-Z-man.