Road Tests

So tonight's rant has to do with experiences from the day rather than something I've seen on television today.  It is something that I have always been bothered with and came across today with nothing else to complain about so why not!


I have mentioned in several previous posts that I have lived in the Syracuse area all my life.  And most people know that the Syracuse area averages around 120 inches of snow every year.  Most of this snow is int he form of lake effect, which is much different than other types of storms.  For those that don't know anything about lake effect snow, I'll give a little explanation before continuing.
 The water over some large lakes (Lake Ontario in this case) don't always get cold enough to freeze and are warmer than the air above them.  When the cold air passes over the warmer water that is evaporating it collects and forms clouds.  When these clouds lose the updraft from the rising warm air over the lake they begin to release their moisture.  During the winter it comes in the form of snow.  These clouds form into bands which can make it so that in a 2 mile stretch you can go from bright sunshine to white out conditions to bright sunshine.  So saying that Syracuse gets 120 inches can be deceiving.  For example, earlier this year the city of Fulton (25 minutes north of Syracuse) got roughly 2 feet of snow while Syracuse got less than 6 inches.  Syracuse snowfall is measured in one location (the airport on the north side) and most of the surrounding areas don't get official measurements.


So what does this have to do with road tests?  I'm glad you asked!  I have long felt that road tests for any state should take place during the time when the weather is the worst.  Here in New York they have stifled this a bit by forcing you to take a driver's education class where you have an instructor with you while you are driving but it doesn't go far enough because a large portion take the class during the summer.  There should be a requirement that you have a certain number of hours driving on snow covered roads so that you are prepared when it happens.  I'm not saying that you should drive in a blizzard just to be able to get your license, just in slippery conditions with a professional instructor that can teach you.  It would prepare you so that, as was the case tonight, when you are driving when it is snowing you don't feel the need to drive extremely slow.  I'm not saying that I am a reckless driver, just sensible.  I have gotten stuck behind more and more people that feel the need to drive 30 MPH just because it is snowing in the past couple of years and it is annoying!  We have excellent road crews here!  If you are that afraid to drive just because it is snowing you shouldn't be driving, or you should at least get out of the way.  When the snow isn't accumulating because the road (and the ground) is too warm you can drive a little faster than 30 MPH in a 55 MPH speed zone!


And while I'm complaining about this kind of thing, let me bring up another thing with regards to licenses that I feel is really important.  In New York, once you get your license you never have to take a road test again.  What this has lead to is a lot of people that should no longer be driving!  I understand that there are a lot of people that have been independent all of their lives and want to keep that independence but at what cost?  Is it worth it to allow these people to have their independence if they are a danger to themselves and others while they are behind the wheel?  This has mostly to do with the loss of your senses as you age but it also has to do with the laziness and thoughts of superiority that we can get, and one other I'll mention in a moment.  Loss of your senses is an obvious one, who hasn't talked to their grandparents in a normal tone and had to repeat themselves?  It happens, fact of life.  So how about the laziness and superiority that you may question.  If you want to see that, just find a stop sign that you can park near without worry of getting ticketed or questioned.  Watch and see how many people actually stop when there isn't a car coming.  You will find that most people don't stop.  If you don't believe me on that, try coming to a complete stop when there is traffic behind you.  I would be surprised if you don't get a couple of ticked off glares or even a honk for doing it.  I've seen people that don't even use the brake when they get to a stop sign.  The other factor is the safety level of modern cars.  Cars nowadays are a lot safer than they were even 10 years ago and this is giving people extremely stupid levels of confidence.  That's right, I said stupid!  There are a lot of people that think the safer cars will save them no matter what they do and that isn't the case.  They are safer but you still can't drive them like you are in a demolition derby!  Safe driving practices still need to be followed.


So what is my solution?  My solution is to make it so that you must take a road test every 10 years.  I'm not sure how often they need to be renewed in other states but in New York it is every 8 years (which is really odd) so it would need to be matched.  I picked 10 years because it is easier to remember than 8 years when you add things up.  Yes, this would mean more services but I am willing to pay for that extra service if it means that the roads will be safer.  By forcing a road test on a regular basis bad habits will be a lot harder to maintain because if you roll through a stop sign on your test you will fail.  They would assist in catching those that no longer have the appropriate level of awareness of their surroundings.  I say assist because it won't catch everyone.  But at least it would be a possibility that someone who should not longer drive will not be able to.