Don’t blame the wind

It’s not always easy to write a column. Sometimes there are many false starts, piles of notes and oodles of heated discussions before the show really “gets on the road.”

This past weekend I spent 11 hours in the car with LOML while the Canadian portion of Frankenstorm began to blow and bluster. Every time we stopped for a break, we laughed about how stupid it was to make such a long trip to have dinner with our friends then to sleep in a cheapie hotel and turn the “rolls-can-hardly” around to “rinse and repeat.” A column was in the making as we sat around the table in the restaurant and the next morning as we battled the rain, gusty winds and idiots on the road home. All that wind, driving rain, grey skies, a night in a hotel that smelled just a wee bit like a hockey equipment duffle bag, and drivers who text behind the wheel, became fuel for my column writing frenzy.

Let me start by saying I’m not anyone’s idea of a great travelling companion at the best of times but, when the weather outside is frightful, oh my. Okay, so maybe for those of you who know me, you probably guessed I wasn’t exactly Susie Sunshine behind the wheel or as a passenger on a trip. I am grateful other drivers can’t hear my litany of expletives as the klics click by. Ya, I get a little bit tense and often put all of my dentist’s finest work to the test. I half expected to be spitting enamel and porcelain by the time we got to Toronto on the return portion of the voyage. It has happened to me, the broken tooth while driving, and several hundred dollars were spent putting that drive right. But, simply put, I don’t trust anyone else out there on the road. Not anyone. Not anymore. There might have been a day when I didn’t stress quite as much but, with the advent of dashboard distractions and mobile communications technology, I’m acutely aware and tense. I have now embraced “defensive driving.” Tell me, why are people still texting while driving? And, why the H E double hash tags would texting while driving be a bright idea when the visibility during the prelude to the Frankenstorm is about 10 blurry feet and the Agawa Canyon-sized ruts in Ontari-ari-ari-OH’s roads are filled with gallons of rain water? Yet, as the hours ticked by, we were passed by or passed by people who were texting, chatting on the phone and eating meals over the steering wheel. Using the steering wheel in a “close grip” while keeping their beasties apprised of road conditions, their social engagements and “whatever” is the new way to drive, I guess.

If texting, phoning and eating weren’t bad enough, what’s with the huggy-snugglies? Tailgating is as popular now as ever it was, perhaps worse because many drivers are so caught up with their mobile devices, they aren’t aware of their position on the road in relationship to other vehicles. As I mentioned, the visibility was poor at best, and at times the wiper blades couldn’t keep up with the deluge; yet there were drivers who rode our back bumper and drifted across lanes without so much as a blink of their blinkers. We did see the aftermath of three serious-looking collisions on the trip. No doubt the incidents will be chalked up to the weather. But we all know better now, don’t we.

Drive decently. Bluetooth it or turn the devices off completely. Eat your meals at the kitchen table and remember to check your mirrors. It’s going to be a challenging week on the road.

theresa@wellingtontimes.ca