I woke up this morning, looked outside my window, and saw Lightning’s Girl covered in a reasonable dusting of white snow.
Ugh. Winter came early.
And with the arrival of winter comes all the usual Capital District winter memes and jokes. You know the ones.
The ones where we see three snowflakes outside and the radio announces that Ichabod Crane Central School will close today.
The ones where Luke Skywalker, astride his Tauntaun from The Empire Strikes Back, saying he’s going out in the blizzard, do you need anything from Stewart’s?
The one which compares snowfalls in various parts of the country – Virginia gets three inches and the state shuts down; New York gets three inches and decides that now it’s time to take in the air conditioners.
Ha ha, ha ha, very funny.
But here’s what’s not funny.
Driving in this weather. No matter if it’s six snowflakes or six inches, it seems that people suddenly forget how to operate a motor vehicle.
Let me explain the situation.
You have a car. Your car is now covered in snow. That means your windshield is covered, your rear window is covered, your side windows are covered, and both side mirrors are covered. Brush off that snow. And brush off the snow on your hood and on your car roof. Nobody needs to experience the blowing snow from following your car on the highway. Or – God forbid – that big clump of ice-packed snow that flies off your roof and crashes down on my windshield.
And make sure you adjust your speeds. Driving 65 mph on the highway in October is not the same as driving 65 mph on the highway NOW. Slow down. You don’t have to crawl, but give yourself an extra 5 to 10 mph to react to some other joker who thinks their car can handle God’s mightiest blizzard without a whimper.
Make sure you have adequate protection just in case something happens. Is your AAA membership paid in full and active? Is your OnStar service maintained for your car? Is your phone fully charged? If not for yourself, then to report an accident along the way.
Don’t fuck around with Mother Nature. She’s been around longer than you have, and she’ll be here long after you’re not.
And if you’re not comfortable driving in this or any other type of wintry weather – consider your options. CDTA. Uber. Lyft. Car-pool. Work from home.
Prepare for this now. You’re going to see this snow for the next four months. Live with it and work with it.
It’s that simple. Okay?
Chuck The Writer 
This is a universal problem; it happens here in Canada too. You’d think after all the bad drivers got wiped out in the previous year they’d be gone, but no. (FYI I spent 10 years driving in upstate NY Winters in 2WD pick-ups. I’ve since moved to the Cariboo and bought 4WD.)
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