Outstanding In Their Field
Do you like driving at night? How about in drizzle/snow on rural roads with no streetlights? Do you notice many approaching cars with obnoxiously bright lights or extra lights on the front of their vehicles?
To find out if I was just me, or my age, I asked my 17-year-old summer hay helper if he found oncoming cars lights bothersome. He concurred that some vehicles approaching have lights that appear too bright or set too high. I concluded that I was not becoming old and grouchy; I have not become my father, yet.
About 15 years ago, I adopted a policy that my hay farming operation would not go north of Laraway Road. Traffic was too heavy, and motorists are too distracted and impatient with slow-farm equipment. Many bad things happen traffic-wise north of Laraway Road in Will County.
I suspect it was a good thing that I was driving a full-size pickup truck when fate intervened on my recent trip to Joliet at 6:30 p.m. on a dark rainy night on northbound US 52, ½ mile north of Laraway Road.
I saw a disabled semi-truck in the oncoming lanes with its hazard lights on. I slowed considerably to pass it and the vehicles behind it that were oncoming. Some had to come into my lane to go around the truck. Thinking I was clear of all the road obstructions, I started to accelerate on my way when suddenly, my truck bounced from an impact.
I now know that instead of having my field of vision on the oncoming traffic and looking out for anybody on the side of the road, I should have been looking for a 145# semi tire and rim lying in the middle of my lane.
I never saw it. I doubt I would have seen a black tire lying flat on a wet road unless it was daylight. There is legalese that implies anytime you hit a stationary object in the road in front of you, it is your fault.
This is karma slapping me in the face. I tend to defend truckers when many deride them for being on our roads. I reason that since consumers want to buy stuff, it must go from point A to point B somehow. However, it can be done safer than what some truck drivers do.
In this case, both tires that separated from the semi were brand new tires. The holes in the rims were elongated from them being loose a long time before all the studs broke and sent them like bowling balls into traffic.
Perhaps a thorough pre-trip inspection of the truck would have easily discovered that the new tires were not properly fastened and coming loose. I also dislike all the vehicles on the road blinding me with their exceptionally bright lights. I feel they are only thinking of themselves and being inconsiderate of the oncoming drivers.
What have I learned: Perhaps I need a new line of demarcation for myself to not travel north of Manhattan anymore after dark. Maybe I should finally get an Amazon account and buy multiple fog lights and LED light bars so I can light my vehicle up to safely see everything in front of me.
The heck with other drivers, let them fend for themselves. If you are driving at night, and it looks like the sun is coming towards you, that may be me in a few weeks.
For years, I have stated, if you don’t like trucks, don’t buy stuff. If we stop our excess consumerism, the truck traffic will go down.
Now I am going to be part of the problem as I buy stuff and light all my trucks up so I can clearly see everything in front of me.
Oh the conundrum, or is it hypocrisy; which would be the more appropriate word?