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Day 12 - Snow Advisery - Slow Down - Do Not Tailgate
Day 12 - Snow Advisery - Slow Down - Do Not Tailgate
Ken


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Camera: Canon EOS-350D Rebel XT
Lens: Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II
Location: Gary, Indiana
Date: Feb 12, 2008
Aperture: F/1.8
ISO: 100
Shutter: 1/40
Galleries: Travel, Transportation
Date Uploaded: Feb 12, 2008

Viewed: 275
Comments: 10
Favorites: 0

 This has been the absolute worst weather this year for driving in the snow, at least since I've had the long commute since moving 6 yrs ago. Usually there's only a few days where the weather really slows me down and this month alone it's been quite a few times. Today it added 30 minutes to my drive home. But I can deal with that.

What I have a problem with is the drivers. The drivers who see crashes and slow down to gawk and then speed up again. This was taken a couple miles after a fairly bad crash. Right after this a guy immediately behind me slid across two lanes and somehow recovered; fortunately there was nobody behind him.

So let's do s story problem... It's snowy/icy and your stopping distance is two times that of dry pavement. Your typical driving speed is 20 miles over the posted speed limit of 55. Do you:
A - speed up
B - slow down by 20 miles per hour
C - weave in and out because your 4 wheel drive vehicle will save you no matter what (or so you think)
D - slow down to a safe speed

Most drivers choose a combination of B&C.

Sorry for the rant, but I want to arrive home safe.

Note: To take this picture I had camera ready before I hit the road. I held one hand on the wheel, quickly held up camera, and pressed shutter. No focusing or setting anything, and I did not even look through the viewfinder. And I was driving slow and leaving plenty of room ahead of me.

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AuthorThread
 02/19/2008 01:03:01 AM
Great capture of what the expressways are really like around here. The point of view, clarity, and color are pretty darn good considering this was a point and shoot without looking and it was taken at dusk/night. Well done! Glad to know you were being cautious by not looking through the view finder too :oP
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/16/2008 04:37:59 PM
Good to hear you were being cautious while taking the picture. Why don't they want you to tailgate? Seems odd to me. lol!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/15/2008 02:57:55 PM
oh yeah! great driving night shot..how did you get the lights so clear while you were moving, at NIGHT no less!!

ahem..as you bitch about the other drivers, just remember..they see a nut driving with a camrea in their hands! hehehe I always think about that in the event of a crash, I would be hard pressed to explain...
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/15/2008 12:45:35 AM
Great P&S. Hope the weather clears up soon.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/14/2008 05:46:21 PM
Let it be a lesson to all of us to slow down and take it easy on the roads. Dangerous enough without being idiots. Thanks for the reminder.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/14/2008 11:50:27 AM
Glad I dont live in that mess anymore! Nice night time capture.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/14/2008 11:19:07 AM
Ha! My first thought upon opening this image was - driving on an icy freeway with warning signs flashing overhead and taking photos... that's something I would do!

Ok - so now I've read your notes and your sorry disclaimer - hahaha! (just kidding)

Love the blur in this photo - it really conveys the exact situation you're talking about. And I have to say, I'm glad it's you and not me. I don't even know if I could drive in snow anymore - it's been so long.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/14/2008 10:16:04 AM
Brrrrr. Thanks for articulating why I don't go back to Ohio in the wintertime. I'm just too old to learn to drive on the snow and ice.

For an honest-to-god point and shoot shot, this is amazing.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/14/2008 02:49:29 AM
hey ken .. firstly i'll say that i've been shooting just the same .. point and shoot with the slr without even looking thru the viewfinder when driving .. very hit and miss but you get some excellent shots .. maybe one out'v hmmmmmm A LOT !!! .. i hold it really close to the windscreen and hope for the best ..
i actually posted a couple in our slice of life yesterday and this morning .. days 9 and 10 .. i'm running a bit behind .. !!!
secondly .. the drivers around where you live sound no different to some of the idiots we have around here, only luckily we dont have the extremely dangerous conditions of the icy roads ... well not in the part of australia where i live anyway ..
often it takes an accident to wake a person up from the fantasy that their driving is crash proof .. and hopefully they dont hurt themselves or someone else in the process .. :)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/13/2008 08:33:38 PM
I agree, bad weather brings out the worst in most drivers! Your picture gives the feeling that these drivers to the left are still going too fast.
  Photographer found comment helpful.


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