“I have four-wheel drive!!!”
If you have friends who are on the road a lot in this region or in an occupation related to transportation you likely hear this one or something similar very often. Last week Trooper Tracy Brown and I attended a two-day firearms training session in Shawnee and were forced to stay over one night due to the weather between there and Boise City.
The worst stretch we saw was in Woodward County and most was because of “blow-over” snow which had iced the road in several places. We saw several accidents, mostly if not all were one-vehicle. We noticed all had a significant amount of damage and all appeared to have been vehicles being operated at speeds far too fast for an icy roadway. Trooper Pat Fike of Woodward was in the area checking on vehicles and we all noticed all vehicles except for semi’s were four-wheel drive. That brings about this weeks topic…..
Four-wheel drive is a great asset but is greatly over-rated in my opinion. An “old-timer” once told me four-wheel drive is best for when you get as far as you can go in two-wheel drive then use 4X4 to get the heck out of there!!! I think that was great advice. Troopers who work a lot of accidents see this alarming trend often in bad weather. Many people have a false belief that 4X4 can allow you to drive as if the road was clear. Not the case. If you believe this you will likely drive much faster than you should and when you have one little “bobble” as in the rear trying to swing around that is usually un-recoverable meaning “you are gonna wreck!!!”…….
Many people believe themselves to be so good at driving they can not wreck. To me that is like thinking you are such a good crook you can’t be caught, so tough you can’t be whipped, so smart no one could be smarter etc. Anyone who watches the news or knows a lot of people and has lived much of a life has seen that when you get to that point you are simply on a one way road to a dead-end with a “crash” at the end.
While not qualified to enter the other areas of life I mentioned professionally I do know a little about accidents and causes of them. Most of the time accidents occur because of excess speed. Bottom line…..
If you have four-wheel drive please remind yourself this does not translate into invincibility. It actually increases your likelihood of being in an accident because in vehicles where it is driver selectable (some are full-time all-wheel drive) it usually means you are driving in terrible road conditions unless off-roading for fun. It also usually means you will drive faster than you should and so will others.
The worst part of winter is upon us so please try to remember these points. I am able to say these things because of what I have seen. If everyone remembered the phrase “Just slow down” the road would be an incredibly safer place…..
Trooper Duane Johnson
Oklahoma Highway Patrol
