Tag: Responsibility

PSA: Snow Does Not Belong on your Car

We had our first significant snowfall last week. I was disappointed to see the number of drivers on the road with their cars coated in inches of snow. We need to take more time to educate the general populace, as this is a rampant problem. Over and over again, I would see chunks of snow from these cars fly off toward the vehicles behind them. It is a hazardous situation. Snow does not belong on your car.

Several industry leaders have made it a point to spread the message. According to Continental Tires’ website, “Driving with snow on your car is dangerous and potentially a violation of the law.” Car and Driver cites several examples where drivers have gotten injured or died because snow from a car in front of them went hurtling toward their vehicle. Snow does not belong on your car.

Snow does not belong on your car. Don’t wait for the air resistance to force the snow onto an unsuspecting driver behind you. Be proactive and get the job done. Owning a broom or an ice scraper to clear snow should be as essential as affording a car, gas, and insurance. Of course, this is meaningless if you do not use the broom you own to remove the snow. 

If you get behind a car with snow, give the car more room than you usually would. You must have time to react to any snow that is sent hurtling toward you and your vehicle. When stuck behind a car or truck with unremoved snow, you want to pay more attention to your three mirrors to know where to get out of the hurtling snow’s path. If you get a chance, record the license plate and send in a complaint in the hopes someone can take the action needed to make the roads safer before it is too late.

Just Be Better (and get rid of the snow on your car)

Stay Strong, Stay Healthy.

Resources

Continental Tires. 

Car & Driver 

Sorry

The other day, our HVAC technician did not show up within the 4-hour window I had scheduled with his company. No company member called to let us know they would be late. This is odd because the technician works for an outstanding company and does excellent work. After the window had elapsed, I called the company and enquired about the missed appointment. The agent told me there was an accident, and they were backed up for the day. I asked why they did not call to let us know there was an issue and either change or reschedule the appointment. That’s when I got the overused and underdelivered “Sorry.”

I loathe this word. The word sorry is a gesture; it is not an action. It does not solve the problem. Everyone rushes to use the term when things are not perfect. I wish everyone rushed to fix the issues first. The overuse of the word has got to stop. If you own up to your mistake, thank you for owning it, but I want to know how you will solve it. Finally, most of the time, people tell me they are sorry but will do nothing to ensure it does not happen again.

After being told sorry by the agent, she said that the technician would be at my house in 20 minutes. It wasn’t until 45 minutes later that the technician told me he was 40 minutes away and would be by shortly. This timeline did not coincide with what the ever-sorrowful agent told me. (The agent’s fault, not the technician’s, who did great work and got everything in order.)

I do not like it when people do not follow up their words with their actions. Only make a promise or a statement if you will back it up. And most definitely, do not tell me you are sorry unless you genuinely take those steps to ensure it never happens again.

Just Be Better

Stay Strong, Stay Healthy.

What Are They Thinking?

The apex for the Spread of the Coronavirus should occur in the next week or two. We have been told to practice social distancing and to only go out for necessities. We are not supposed to gather in groups and we are not supposed to have any gatherings. Also, we cannot go to stores without wearing facemasks. But we can go outside to walk the dog.

My wife and oldest son took our dog Ellie for a walk. It was a good source of exercise for all three of them and they needed to get out of the house. When they came back, they were disgusted by the number of people in our development who were hanging out in groups. There was one group of families walking their dogs together. There was another house that had 7 or 8 kids in their backyard. We know these people and they only have three children. There was another gathering of 10 or so people on another’s front yard.

What are people thinking? Just because they do not have outward signs or symptoms does not mean that they do not have the virus. People’s selfish lack of attention is going to cost others their health. They are going to push this virus forward and it will take longer for us to return to normalcy. Many need to get to work. Few need to gather on their front lawns.

Just Be Better.