tapman.net

I'm constantly amazed by the disconnect between people's actions and thoughts. Nowhere is this more evident than on the road during inclement weather.

Today I drove across town in the driving rain, spending some time on an interstate, major roads, and several smaller roads. Conditions were bad, it was the aftermath of a hurricane, and driving was riskier than normal. This was, or should have been, obvious to everyone. Rain decreased visibility. Water on the road decreased traction. I'm not an expert but I'd say the average safe speed was reduced by about 20%, so figure 55 instead of 70 on the interstate.

Now the interesting thing is that some people got this, and even overestimated the danger, and reduced their speed a lot. It was common to see people driving about 45 on the highway. Forgetting for a moment the debate over whether this was too slow, the real issue was that these people, who obviously understood at least part of the danger, were oblivious to the fact that they needed to turn their lights on.

So what is it that makes a person drive slowly in the rain but not turn on their lights? Is it an oversight? Is it a logical decision not to turn on their lights because they think it's safer to drive with them off? Is it something else that I can't even imagine?