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Thread: N.E. is supposed to get hammered soon, PLEASE drive sanely!!!

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Parma Hts., Ohio
    Posts
    855

    N.E. is supposed to get hammered soon, PLEASE drive sanely!!!

    Hi All,

    We're supposed to get a significant amount of snow in the coming days. As a State Highway worker my job is to keep the highways safe. It's nearly impossible to do with people driving like idiots. The first snow of the year I was able to keep everything wet (on my route I have a 12 1/2mi. stretch that goes from 3 lanes to 5 lanes + the ramps) and people were passing me on the berms because I was only going the speed limit (60mph). I have no idea how they know if the road froze up again ahead of me. I know most of the time, not always, because the road usually gets a "Greasy" look to it. (This is especially true for bridge decks. They freeze up a lot faster than the road.) This last weekend was worse. Cars were flying off the road no matter what the road was like. I can't remember how many times I called for assistance because people lost control. Low speed lanes were wet and high speed were slushy, and where did they drive? Not where it was just wet, they couldn't go that slow. Drivers also don't realize that I have to slow WAY down going over bridges, they have expansion joints. If you hit one with your blade, you KNOW you hit one. It can (& will) stop a truck dead in it's tracks and it HURTS!!! (DAMHIKT ) I also have to make sure the snow doesn't go over the side of the bridge onto the roads underneith them. What is the hurry??? Time is something that can't be made up. Once it's gone, it's gone. If it's nasty out, leave a little earlier. Seems to me that if your flying because you are late, the only thing you'll get to faster is the end of your life, or even worse, mine or another persons. In this high speed world, PLEASE slow down a little. Remember, the life you save can be ANYONES!!

    Have a SAFE and HAPPY holidays!!!

    Joe

  2. #2
    Thanks for watching out for us little guys. It's great to get perspective from the guy in the great big orange truck. (At least they're orange in Illinois.)

    I'd never thought of the affect of expansion joints on a plow. Now I see why you all always slow down there.
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  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Mossville, Illinois
    Posts
    315
    Wow, Joe, good points! Another thing to keep in mind is when going up an icy hill, don't drive like Fred Flintstone...ya know, cranking the wheel left and right repeatedly. Keep the wheels straight, as you will have a much better chance of MOVING! Last weekend here in Illinois we got about an inch of snow...you would have thought the whole world had come to an end...thing is, we normally get much more than that. I have no sympathy for people who do foolish things and end up in trouble, oh sure, I'll help them out, but not for free! Like pulling somebody out of a ditch because they were doing 70 mph down the interstate in a snowsorm, and 2 mile down the road I pass them in the ditch. There gonna pay me at least $20 for even getting out of my truck. On the other hand, someone driving sanely who just hit an ice patch and slid off I'd help out for free, because they were driving like humans!

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Collin County Texas
    Posts
    2,417

    I remember the nasty weather

    in Ohio and around Boston. No thanks, you can have it

    One winter I was coming back from Euclid heading for Akron, and the State Patrol forced me to get off I-271 at SR 8. I guess the Cuyahoga valley bridge lanes were drifted over. A very bad Sunday night to be out.

    Ohio - A good place to be FROM

    Merry Christmas and be careful, Joe.
    Best Regards, Ken

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Knoxville TN.
    Posts
    2,667
    I agree. Ohio is a good place to be from. Way to much snow
    Dick

    No Pain-No Gain- Not!
    No Pain-Good

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