Dear People On The Roads In Michigan (Or, y’know, my little corner of it):
I know it hasn’t been that long since I last complained about your performance on the road, but I have to tell y’all – It’s FEBRUARY. By now, you should have summoned up your muscle memory with regard to handling your vehicle (or yourself) on the snow and ice and slush.
SHOULD HAVE are the operative words here. You. Should. Have.
But you didn’t.
This morning, I dashed out of the house alone to grab some coffee at Starbucks before taking my kids to gymnastics – we got a bunch of snow yesterday, the roads were slick. The whole way to the coffee shop, I was behind the salt truck at super-slow speeds (itching for coffee, driving at a snail’s pace. Not fun). In fact, the roads were filled with plows and salt trucks. Know why?
BECAUSE THE ROADS WERE NOT PERFECT DRIVING CONDITIONS. They were kinda slick, at that.
So, when I was driving home and I came to the top of a small hill and there were two RUNNERS coming towards me in my lane and a car in the oncoming lane and no shoulder and no way to brake without sliding in the slush, I got a lil bit freaked out.
Runners: I get the endorphin high, I get that it feels good to work out. However, when snow covers the shoulder of the road and there are more plows and county vehicles out than passenger vehicles, take that as a sign: The roads are bad. Stay inside. When the sun comes out and the road clears, getcha run on. In the mean time, it’s probably safer on your couch wrapped in a Snuggie watching the Food Network.
After gymnastics, the girls and I decided we’d run some errands. Buckled safely in the car, we drove (cautiously, of course) on our way. An… older dude… plowing his driveway with an antiquated tractor backed out of his driveway, across both lanes of the road, into my lane where I had to swerve and brake so as not to hit him, then cross my fingers that I would stop skidding before slamming into a snow bank.
Fortunately, all’s well.
But, dude. WHY did you do that? Why didn’t you stop? Y’all need to LOOK FOR ONCOMING TRAFFIC when people don’t have normal braking power (Actually, in general, I hear looking out for traffic is a pretty good idea).
By the time my heart stopped racing from that near-miss, I just wanted to get home put on my fuzzy slippers and avoid the roads until the spring thaw.
People on the roads of Michigan, I cannot stay inside for the next several months waiting for the snow to melt, so you really REALLY need to pay attention to what you’re doing. In return, I promise that I will keep driving safely. AND, if you really drive well, I won’t make fun of your bumper stickers.
About sarah
As a fellow driver in Michigan, I feel your pain in all of this. As a runner, I don’t know if I would have joined those individuals (oh wait, I know I wouldn’t) on the road this AM… endorphin high or not! Glad you are home safe… we have a few snowless days before it happens again. Hopefully.
Julie – thanks for stopping by! I prefer to run outdoors when given the option of outside running or my treadmill but once the temp drops below forty (OH, who I am kidding – 50!), I don’t want to run outside. And if there’s snow on the ground? It’s even less appealing to me. Not only because of the cold or the slush, but because getting squooshed by a car that cannot stop because the roads are icy sounds like a crappy way to go!