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Kamloops News

MANN: Pumping the breaks on winter driving

Image Credit: SUBMITTED
November 01, 2018 - 12:11 PM

OPINION


November is here.

It is only a matter of time before the roads are covered in snow and ice and we commence winter driving.

Winter has already started on the Coquihalla (winter conditions that is), and we are not off to such a great start, so I hear.

Every year I prepare for winter driving the best ways I can.

I only plan to drive when I need to, and I try to keep my ventures both local and short.

I carry all of the winter essentials in my trunk — warm clothes for my family, an ice scraper, and some snacks in case of an emergency.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not ALWAYS prepared. Sometimes I can’t find my ice scraper for the life of me, and I curse under my breath as I have to wait for the car to warm up and melt away the frost so I can see where I am headed.

And it doesn’t seem to matter how prepared I am, when winter comes along, that familiar anxiety starts brewing, and I have to remember that it won’t last forever.

But the weather never seems to deter people from travelling altogether, and surprisingly, road rage is almost worse in many cases.

I get it — we all have places to go, and whether it is summer or winter, we are on a schedule. And yes, winter weather slows things down all around, which in turn seems to cause a lot of people to be running late.

And in turn, there are a lot of people boiling with anger behind the wheel.

It doesn’t end on the road either. A lot of visiting parking spots at different complexes become buried in the white stuff, and before you know it the visiting spots and the tenants' spots are interchangeable. So you end up parking where you aren’t supposed to while visiting someone, and the next day you get a note on your car calling you a douchebag for making an honest mistake…true story.

Now I know there are those self-proclaimed amazing winter drivers — good for you. I wish I had your confidence, but I don’t. But I am a safe driver and I plan to navigate the winter roads as I always do — driving to the conditions.

I have some pretty precious cargo I am carrying when I drive, and no matter how mad the guy (or girl) behind me gets, I am going to stick to the speed limit to make sure I get to experience the next 20 winters with my children.

And I shouldn’t have to feel bad about that.

There are enough things to be stressed about in this life — illness, death, heartache, careers, and where people’s heads are at sometimes. I’d kind of like to not have to worry about being flipped the bird on my drive to work.

I'm pretty sure the ones doing the flipping aren't perfect human beings either. 

I’ll do my part to ensure you can get to where you need to go as quickly as you can, but remember the road is a shared space and the rest of us are here too.

— Becky is a 30-something, red haired, mother of two, trying to navigate this life as best she can. She enjoys talking to people and discovering their stories. Still trying to balance her personal and professional life, she juggles work and play. In her spare time Becky can be found visiting with friends, spending time with her family and saving time by reading while walking, She knows there is so much more to come and is looking forward to the continued adventure.


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