Attention, Commuters of DC, VA and MD!

[bjarvis]

I warned you last year: clean the snow and ice off your car before driving.

Let's review since you clearly didn't internalize the message last year...

• When you can't see out your own vehicle's windows because you didn't bother clearing them of snow and ice, you're a hazard to yourself and everyone else.
  
• When blowing snow and large chunks of ice come flying off your vehicle and slam into the other cars in your vicinity, you're a hazard to yourself and everyone else. This goes double for you SUV owners.
  
• When you're sitting in your car to warm it up before driving, close your door. The rest of us would like to pass you.
  

Don't make me come down there with a snow brush... I won't be using it to clean your car.

Comments

[cuyahogarvr.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad this stupidity just doesn't happen in Cleveland.

[musicbearmn.livejournal.com]

LOL.....you'd be coming after me on this, I'm afraid. I've gotten really sloppy over the years.

[ciddyguy.livejournal.com]

Ya better shape up or Brian will come after ya and smack ya with it! ;-)

[ciddyguy.livejournal.com]

I agree, although I don't always get the snow totally brushed off the top of the car, but at least I get the windows cleared. Nothing bothers me more when driving are windows one can't see out of due to being fogged up etc.

And speaking of pet peeves, I dislike it when people don't understand how to unfog their windows on a normal day during the winter months.

Defogging any time of the year

[weekilter.livejournal.com]

Just run your air conditioning (if you have it) for a minute or so) and it will defog your windscreen/windshield trés quick. Many people do not know this hint from Heloise :)

Re: Defogging any time of the year

[ciddyguy.livejournal.com]

Very true and I've also read that the recirc button should only be used when you first get in the car for a few minutes to speed up the cooling or warm up.

Many cars now have it set so that when you press, slide to defrost, the AC kicks in, assuming you even have it, but not all do.

It's also a good idea to run one's a/c every once in a while as it'll keep the seals etc from drying out, thus causing leakage which then requires a recharge. That's most likely what happened to my truck as it seems ok mechanically, but is empty of freon.

[pectopah.livejournal.com]

In many places, not cleaning off your car can get you pulled over. I know that in Quebec and Vermont that is the case. I am always surprised in Vermont to see cars with only the windshield area in front of the driver cleared.

When I was commuting in Vermont about 3 years ago, I was behind a Jeep that was not cleaned off. We were coming down a hill and the 2 inches of frozen snow on her hood flipped up in a sheet right into her windshield. She panic-stopped and, fortunately, there was no accident, but she was spooked and pulled over. If she wasn't late to work already (which was probably why she didn't clean off the car), she was now!

[billeyler.livejournal.com]

In early January, I was following a truck onto I-25 that obviously had not moved since the 12/29-30 massive snowstorm.

Climbing the on-ramp, it hit a little bump and the entire snowfield on top of the truck slid off and WHOMPED right in front of me. I swerved and missed it, amazingly, but it would have been bad.

Later that day, I saw a small sportscar that hadn't bothered to clear ANY of the snow from his car, except for a spot in his front windshield...good lord!

I don't get it.