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Re: Americans Can't Drive in the Rain?



In <43cgbd$5c@gap.cco.caltech.edu> bryan@yanomamo.scp.caltech.edu (Bryan Chow) writes:

>I made a comment about that a long time ago, and Charles and
>Ryan have jumped on it - for what I don't know, since I'm an
>American too.

 That's ok.  I make generalizations too and people jump on me. :)

>The reason I think that is because here in LA it doesn't rain very
>often.  But when it pours, I'd always see cars in the ditch near the
>freeway onramp.  The CHP will be on the News urging people to drive
>slowly and safely, and comment about how accident rates shoot up when
>it rains.  Also, a lot of people don't seem to drive any slower when
>it's raining.

 You guys have accidents when it rains?  Umm, gee, what's so hard about
driving in the rain?

 Well, granted, some people do seem to have an unnatural tendency to try to
drive too fast.  And it's a real bitch if you try to pass a Semi truck.

 But we generally don't have too many problems with rain and interstate
travel.

>So, what do you think?  Does the average American driver need to
>take lessons in driving in the rain?

 No, just stupid people in California. :)

 In general we don't have very many accidents in the rain here in the
midwest.  The accidents usually spike right around november/december during
the first ice/snow storms.

 It takes a while for people to understand that cars don't drive well with
an inch of ice on the road.  And then after Darwinian theory selectivly
kills off the first 500 or so idiots, the rest of us do pretty well the
rest of the winter. :)

 Of course, I also wish people would learn that in the winter, bridges are
very dangerous in that ice has a tendency to build up on them more easily
than the regular roads.

 Of course I hear in Texas if they get a half inch of snow they have to
close the entire state down.

Steve
If it snowed in Los Angeles would we have to declare the county a natural
disaster area?
-- 
Steve Sheldon           [These are my own opinions]    '94 Acura Integra LS
Iowa State University   ICSS Resource Facility by day  '85 Honda Spree
sheldon@iastate.edu     ProMap by night                '91 Bridgestone MB5
   BEEF! -- Cause the west wasn't won on salad.


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