Does rainy, icy, foggy, windy, snowy, dark, sandy weather cause car crashes? It does? Well then so does sunny, bright, dry, clear, calm weather. The difference is that on the next morning the daily news doesn't report "clear conditions brought on three car crashes in Scoochburough County yesterday sending four to the hospital." Let's say that I'm driving a bit too fast for my own skill level and perhaps even manipulating a nice hot fresh caffeinated beverage at the same time. Then let's say I have a crash. What caused it? Let me help- it was daytime, the road was dry and the sky was clear. Now what caused the crash? Got your answer? I'll bet you've based it on my own dumb behavior choices, right? Makes sense.
OK, I lied- it was indeed daytime, but the road was slippery and there was dense fog. So, now you're writing the story for tonight's news coverage. What's your headline now? I'll bet that it's something like "icy roads combined with dense fog caused a Schoochburough County driver to lose control of his vehicle and blah, blah blah." Why is my behavior not an issue any more?
I make behavior choices each day when I drive. If it's a snowy day I don't say to my wife "well dear, it's snowy today. Guess I have no choice but to go have a car crash." Perhaps I decide to leave later, slow down, allow more space around me, take a different route or not go at all. Here's the reality- on a day with poor weather conditions most drivers do not have a crash, just like any other day. Not all of the non-crashers are just plain lucky and not all of the crashers are just plain unlucky. There are behavior choices involved as well.
Seems to me that this message is starting to catch on a bit. News reporting has not concentrated quite as much on the inevitability of crashing because of weather, but in many cases has chosen to focus on behavior measures that can be taken (or could have been taken) to avoid the crash. This is the message that traffic safety educators are working to get across.
Have a safe day.
Good post. Never really thought about it that way. I guess the key to having an accident is to have it on a wet, slippery day so there is something/someone to blame.
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