Dumb and dumber: behind the wheel when winter strikes

My wife Liz and I got caught in a band of snow showers on Saturday, while driving from Augusta to Portland, Maine. That wouldn't have been noteworthy, except that the temperature had dropped below freezing.

The interstate quickly became wet and, because of the cold, dangerously slick. At periodic intervals, electronic signs along the highway warned that the speed limit had been reduced to 45 miles per hour. I dutifully slowed down, as did some other drivers. But many sped by in the passing lane, oblivious to the snow, the ice and the warnings.

Not surprisingly, we spotted our first accident within minutes. Traffic slowed to a crawl for about a mile until we reached a banged up car that had slid off into a ditch, where a state trooper was helping the seemingly uninjured driver. Over the next three miles or so, we came upon four more accidents. Flashing lights seemed to be everywhere, as state troopers and sheriff’s deputies came to the rescue.

Keep in mind that all of this happened in Maine, where snow and ice are a routine part of the equation in winter, and motorists are supposed to know how to deal with them. Perhaps the moral of the story is that knowledge is useless unless you have enough common sense to apply it. As Dilbert told his boss recently, in reference to a co-worker: "Ted's brain is where knowledge goes to die."