NC can be an interesting place, weather-wise. While the northwestern corner experiences quite a bit of snow regularly, the central to eastern parts face snow as well but more often ice. It happens every single winter. And yet, realizing this fact, soccer moms still grossly over estimate their driving skills (because, we all know 4×4 suburbans make you go-anywhere drivers) and the tasty wintry allure of bread milk sammiches (because, what else do you do with only bread and milk?) overwhelm the common sense factor.
In the picture above, the storm hit in the afternoon. It didn’t just pop up, NOAA had been calling for it for weeks, just like the storm hitting tonight and tomorrow. Those folks pictured could have went home early, they could have called out (I bet the dude with the flaming car wished he had) or they could’ve just had common sense and said, “I’m staying home today, I can’t drive in this stuff.” Better yet, realize that even though I can drive in this stuff just fine with my 4×4 soul-crusher-doom-slayer, NOBODY ELSE CAN, SO STAY HOME. After all, it’s like 50 degrees in the Piedmont a couple days after every snow storm and then you get to clean up. Life’s not that serious, and there’s very few things worth yours. Sometimes survivalism means staying home, kicking back, and taking a little break when you know things might turn sour, watching the hilarious entertainment of morons in Raleigh, or any other urban area.
But you can’t know if you don’t pay attention. And no amount of gear or skill could pull all those cars up that hill, on that particular day. But being aware would have kept those folks at home.
Fifth Principle of Patrolling- Common Sense.