sadly, this is not an uncommon story. people drive too fast for conditions. that is never going to stop. we used to call it job security. as for the officer, it is a fact that more highway cops are killed by cars than by bullets. highway workers have it worse, we just don't hear about them as often. lloyds of london doesn't show this, but i suspect that standing alongside of a freeway ranks right up there with farm workers and aircraft carrier flight deck workers as the most dangerous places to work. luckily, the chp has a good support system in place...

2 inches of snow, 6 accidents in a 10 mile stretch of highway. Oh did I mention 1 hour and 15 minutes drive time. You think these people would be used to it. Every years first snowfall throws some kind of idiot switch on in everyone but me.

Rant off.

Only the first snowfall? You're lucky.

It's every snowfall around here. The first is the worst though.
Makes for some busy and entertaining scanner listening.

I've always wondered why the powers that be haven't come up with something along this line already. Some type of electronic device in the car that somehow receives signals from another device mounted to speed limit signs, that won't let you go over the speed limit (police and EMS exempted). A friend of mine that's a cop says the government wouldn't want it, speeding citations are quite the revenue source for the state.

"...quite the revenue source for the state..."

that depends on the state. in ca, something like 90% of the money collected from traffic citations goes to the city/county where the violation occurred. they, of course, would probably hate to lose that revenue...

In Oklahoma, It is against the law for revenue generated from traffic citations to be placed in any law enforcement budget. Now drug seizure money is an entirely different story.

I've heard one of the reasons police let people drive above the speed limit is it helps get them home and off the road sooner, thereby thinning out the amount of traffic on the road at any one particular time. The man telling me this used the analogy of water pipes: If you need to move more water (car traffic), you can do only two things - increase the size of the water pipe (build larger roads) or increase the velocity of the water (let cars drive faster). Most of the major roads are simply too small for the amount of traffic on them (at least during rush hours).

"I think I can market a cheap safety and fuel saving devise. It's a wooden wedge with a bolt,slipped under hte gas pedal and calibrated to 65 MPH."

I've got a better use for the wedge. Got a mallet with you?

"...'why is it that on the first day of winter everyone forgets how to drive??'"

Here in WA, it's every day, every night, dry, sunny, windy, raining, snowing, ice. These people make So. Californias look like the Supreme Drivers of the Universe. Even drunk.

"If you need to move more water (car traffic), you can do only two things - increase the size of the water pipe (build larger roads) or increase the velocity of the water (let cars drive faster)."

Sooooo.... what's the hurry in draining the tank?

Sue

RE Buckled before start...

Not me - I usually reach in, start the truck, then climb in, buckle, adjust mirrors as necessary, check my guages, etc - that time between is the truck's 'warm up'

kick the tires
light the fires
buckle up
check the mirrors...