Driving in Weather

rainComing down the escalator to the terminal’s ground floor I could see the rain falling hard against the massive windows that made up the wall on the east side of the building.  Outside, standing curbside waiting for the shuttle bus that would take me to the rental car facility; I came into personal contact with the cold, wet and very windy night.  It was not cold enough to turn the rain into snow, but it was cold enough that it did not matter.  After a long day of waiting, hurrying, dragging bags, stuffing overhead bins, and eating pretzels, I was tired and not looking forward to the 45 minute drive to my hotel.  Still, real food and a warm bed was sufficient motivation to keep me moving.

I was moderately wet by the time I found myself in the driver’s seat of a foreign made “full sized” car.  If this was a full sized car, I could not imagine how small a compact could be.  Once I had located the lights switch, wipers, programed the GPS system, and adjusted the mirrors I was ready to go.  I was driving in one of those states in the east where they did not know what a Bots Dot, or a reflector on the road was, or even reflective paint.  On the pot hole filled road leading to the highway, I was having too much trouble distinguishing my lane from the one to my right or left; fortunately it was late and not too many cars were on the road.  My lack of clarity was beginning to unnerve me, not to mention twice the harsh voice on the GPS box had informed me that it was recalculating my route because I had missed a turn. 

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The Brake Lights in Front of You

When driving on the freeway in heavy traffic and something happens ahead of your car, the tail lights of cars far up the freeway light up, warning you of problems down the road.  It can look like the lights on an airplane landing strip, each red light sequencing its turn to glow immediately after the next one in front, so that fifty lights covering a mile can rush toward your car in just seconds.  It can be an immediate warning system, if one chooses to see it.  Flashing brake lights that far in advance of a problem, can save your life, unless you are so preoccupied by “other stuff” you don’t heed the warning.  Unless you are too busy to see the warning signs; then a big crash may be in your near future.

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