Vandals

Moonlighting. A blog by Judy Cools

You’re rushing around to get ready for work. Finally able to pop out the door and head for your car in the driveway, you are struck by another hurdle in getting to work on time. Vandals have covered your windows with paint!

Desperate to get to work, you scrape off a 12-inch patch of glass right in front of the driver’s spot, and proceed to drive. Well no… you can’t see cars coming from the side. That would be helpful when turning or merging. You can’t see out the back, either. That’s OK though, because that is just where you’ve been, not where you are going. Come to think of it, you really can’t see all that well out the windshield. But you’ll manage.

WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?! Nobody in their right mind would drive a car in this condition. So why do you dare to do it when the “paint” obscuring your view is ice and snow?

Now that the challenging weather is here, I’m forever seeing cars with only little patches of glass cleared off here and there. Side windows are covered, rear windows are covered, and most haven’t bothered to clean off their brake lights and turn signals. As if the weather doesn’t add enough of a challenge, driving a snow-covered car is just crazy.

Really, people – what are you thinking? This is Michigan, and you need to accept that it will take some extra time and some extra effort standing out in the cold if you’re going to be a safe and responsible driver. Clean your windows – all of them. Make sure to dust off your headlights, turn signals, and rear lights (including the elevated brake light). Wait for fog to clear from the windows as well; you can’t see through frosted glass. You can start your car first and let it warm up while you get the outside ready to let you drive safely.

Equip your car with a good window scraper and snow brush. Equip yourself with a nice pair of gloves, hat, and scarf (all of which are already on winter clearance sale!!) to protect you from the cold and wind. You might be uncomfortable scraping and dusting that cold stuff for as long as it takes, but you will have earned the right to feel warm inside, knowing you are a responsible driver on the winter roads.

© 2013, J. Cools