Why Do People in Lubbock Forget How to Drive When It Rains?
I'm someone who absolutely loves the rain. Maybe it’s because I'm a redhead and legitimately allergic to the sun. No, really -- I actually suffer an allergic reaction if I get too much sun. Fun, right? Therefore, something about when it’s overcast just makes my heart happy.
The thing about the rain that doesn’t make my heart happy are all the people who seem to forget how to drive the minute any amount of water hits the road. I've encountered some terrible drivers in Lubbock, but it's all amplified by rainy weather.
It definitely isn’t all Lubbock drivers that are horrible, but there is a shocking amount. I know this trend isn't exclusive to Lubbock either. I do have some favorite instances of bad driving in the rain that will always plague my memories.
The first is one which occurs quite often. This is the trend of people in their big-lifted trucks plowing through flooded areas of the road. This is fine as long as they're on their own on the road. However, they always chose to do it right next to a much smaller car which then gets blinded by the massive wave that the truck splashes up onto the other driver’s windshield.
I get it -- you know your truck will make it through the flooding just fine, but don’t put others at risk in the process.
The next involves the people who drive those small cars that the trucks like to splash. I've seen people in very small cars try to make it through water on the road that's way too deep. These people typically end up stuck in the water, or they flood their car. If you don’t know how deep the flooding is, then do not drive through it. It's that simple.
Last, but certainly not least, there are far too many people who don't slow down on the slick roads. The first thing you should do when driving in wet conditions is slow down. Why do people feel the need to speed by you, cut you off and then hydroplane their way through a turn?
I completely trust myself to drive safely on a rainy day, but I do not trust others to do the same. Please be careful and considerate of those around you.