Confusion Reigns

There’s something about wet weather that drives people crazy.

Or rather I should say- in wet weather, people drive crazy.

The experts suggest we slow the speed down by about 10kph during precipitation. And leave a little more space in between you and the vehicle in front, to allow for sliding when stopping.

Yeah, right.

I’m beginning to think it wouldn’t hurt if the experts proposed that some drivers leave the car at home altogether on rainy days! It’d certainly make life a whole lot safer for the rest of us road users- if not a little less interesting.

OK, so in some parts of the country this drought has lasted a long time. But surely even those living in the driest areas have had a chance to maneuver a motor vehicle under grey skies. One would think not, given the examples of not-so-precision driving witnessed during periods of precipitation.

Even the roadside assist guys will tell you there’s a lot more call outs for dings, bangs, and bingles…not to mention flat batteries as people turn their lights on then forget to turn them off again once they reach their destination. Well, duh.

Seriously, if you want to catch idiots in action, just add water.

I don't know about you, but I’ve seen cars fishtailing round corners, some sliding into parked cars or fences, stopping on the wrong side of the red light, even swerving onto the other side of the road to avoid puddles, for goodness sake (it’s not like your car isn’t getting wet already)!

And just last week my Beloved narrowly missed becoming a hood ornament for some bloke driving with his high beams on in the mist (and apparently still couldn’t see where he was going)!

Oh and hands up who else has seen people totally forget basic road rules like how to give way at intersections when it rains?

Yep, they either cut someone else off in a bid to beat traffic, or sit so long it’s as if they want the road clear from here to Hobart before they venture out. I got caught behind some lady in a 4 wheel drive for almost 10 minutes yesterday while she waited for a gap in the traffic that a semi trailer could’ve fit through! I felt like going up and tapping on her window to see if she was having trouble finding first gear…but I didn’t think she’d appreciate my roadside assistance.

But the strangest episode of wet weather weirdness behind the wheel I’ve ever witnessed was when a woman backed out of her spot in the car park at the local shops, totally misjudged the size of her car in relation to the size of the car park, and ripped off her entire front bumper and half the driver side panel as well. It was a brand new 4WD too. Then she stood there doing the 'dance of the damaged car' until I could no longer see her in my rearview mirror. (You know the one- jump out of the car, race to the front, clap your hands over your mouth then on either side of your head, shake it all about a few times, and pace back and forth as you try to decide what to do next.)

At the risk of sounding sexist (as I am a female driver too), I could only hope that she has an understanding husband, or a good panel beater, or even better- both. And hope that she catches a bus next time it rains.

Yep, there’s just something about the wet weather that causes stupidity to flood the population at large. And with more cloudy days on the way according to the forecast, the footpath is perhaps the safest place to be.

Because, to paraphrase Eliza Doolittle: it’s plain that rain washes brains down the drain.

Jx
©2009