Snow in the Sun Belt

• Posted on January 8, 2010 at 10:59 pm

Winter weather has winged its way into Georgia, exposing in its wake a new side of my southern neighbors. Who knew that less than one inch of snow and a few days of sub-freezing temperatures could affect Atlantans in an apocalyptic way? School closings, road closings, 10 water main breaks on Thursdsay, people at the grocery store stocking up on bottled water. It’s nuts. I recall, without fondness, trudging through two or three feet of snow to get to school in Boston. No cancellation, no road closings, no bottled water hysteria. I’m too young to start sentences with “when I was growing up…”. Yet, the temptation to compare what’s a normal reaction to winter weather in my hometown of Beantown to what’s normal here in Transplanta (I’ve yet to meet an Atlanta resident who grew up in Georgia. Just like Florida is a magnet for recent retirees from New England, Atlanta seems to be a magnet for recent grads from the Midwest and Northeast.) is irresistable. In good weather, Georgia drivers tailgate with tenacity. I have, in fact, had my grocery list stolen from my back pocket by the driver behind me. Naturally, when the roads get icy, drivers here still cannot be persuaded to obey the old ‘three car-length’ rule. To get one’s permit in the Peachtree State, I’m guessing a keen sense of other drivers’ blindspots, and an innate desire to drive so closely that the driver in front of you cannot see your license plate in his rear-view mirror, is the golden ticket. As I took to the road yesterday evening, amid ice, sleet, and countless warnings from area media outlets to use caution, I couldn’t help but notice that drivers continued their careless, close-driving with conviction. This is undeniably a recipe for wrecks. What are people thinking? As the AJC reports, DeKalb county alone saw 120 car accidents in the first 11 hours of Friday. Conversely, a handful of accidents made wbztv.com and boston.com during a storm that dumped several inches of snow in Massachusetts. Why do drivers here, many of whom are from northern areas, most of whom have been exposed to snow and freezing at some point, have so little understanding of safe, smart driving? If anything, if one has not been exposed to snow or ice, wouldn’t that person be even more cautious?
Good thing winter is short here. I don’t know how much more ice irresponsibility I can take.

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