Are We Less Dedicated OR Less Skilled On Bad Roads?

Jonathan Crouse November 23, 2021 11:05 am Last Updated on March 9, 2026 12:56 am

I heard a statement last winter and more often than not, I wonder if that person was on to something. The statement was “people are becoming snowflakes when it comes to snowflakes”. That was in reference to the number of emotional comments on a Facebook post stating that school was not cancelled on a day when the roads were white with a light snow.
That popped up in my head yesterday when a conversation was held in our office near my desk. Two employees that have a distance to travel were discussing the storm and one asked if the other was planning to make the trip. The response was priceless “It’s Rain!”, haha. What is happening to the current adult driving generation?
Twenty years ago you watched the weather on the evening news to determine if you might have to get up early the next morning to make it to work on time due slower travel conditions on snowy roads… But the idea of not being able to go to work was not even considered. Unless you could not get out the door, or find your car under the snow. Then you would call in late because you had to shovel.
The thing I find the most interesting around this is 20 or 30 years ago the biggest safety features for winter driving were 4wheel drive, seatbelts and rear window defrost. Now cars have more safety features than can be listed and yet we seem more afraid of the elements. But why?
Is it our fault? The weather has always been an important piece of information offered up by the media, so has that caused more people to worry more about less than optimum travel conditions? There is no doubt that when a “storm” is announced, the store shelves become bare. I speak from experience as I grabbed that last jug of milk in the cooler last evening on my way home.
Or is it that more people are moving to Canada than previous decades and the idea of driving in snow or heavy rain is not something they are used to.

https://moving2canada.com/winter-driving-canada/

Food for thought and since the pandemic has proven many can do their job from home, will that fact and the fear of travelling on slippery roads cause most office spaces to become vacant. I guess that would be one way to cut down on vehicles burning fossil fuels.
For those of us that do travel regardless of conditions, here are some tips to help you through.