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I'm just curious about this, as I often encounter people at both ends of the spectrum. For people who have non-essential jobs, and who live in cold climates, do you prefer to stay home when the snow hits or do you make every effort to get to work?
I know some people who call out if they see two snowflakes, while others will drive to work in a blizzard. I've gotten to a point where I no longer feel it necessary to risk my safety for a job. I did it too many times, and it's not worth it anymore. I'm also fortunate that I have enough paid time off that I can afford to "waste" a couple of days each winter if necessary.
I'm a self-employed IT consultant, and quite often I will make the decision to WfH if I think driving conditions are going to be an issue between my home and my client's place of work. In most cases I WfH regardless of the weather conditions, purely because IT offers that benefit. However, if I'm installing hardware to a client's premise I will evaluate the risk benefit if the snow is going to be bad against the needs of the customer.
Lol. No, I never stayed home. Wyoming native, it snows there... if people were to stay home every time it snowed, nothing would happen. Snow does NOT mean "risk" or "unsafe" in areas where it does so with any frequency. Doesn't mean anything in areas where it's rare (like here in Georgia), just that you need to avoid the idiots on the road... but they're easier to spot and less threat on bad roads than on good as they've usually crashed into the ditch within a mile of home.
It's as odd a thought as people staying home when it rains... or when the wind blows, or when it's sunny.
FWIW, absolutely every time I've been hit, it's been a clear day with dry roads. No accidents in any other conditions, not even at night.
If it's a blizzard, 90% of the time: yes. Not only is it a nuisance for me, it's increasing risk to the emergency vehicles that need to be on the road for actual emergencies. How will you feel if you're bleeding out or having a heart attack in the back of an ambulance that can't get around a spun out Toyota Tercel that probably shouldn't have been on the road in a blizzard in the first place.
If it's a blizzard, 90% of the time: yes. Not only is it a nuisance for me, it's increasing risk to the emergency vehicles that need to be on the road for actual emergencies. How will you feel if you're bleeding out or having a heart attack in the back of an ambulance that can't get around a spun out Toyota Tercel that probably shouldn't have been on the road in a blizzard in the first place.
That's how I think about it. If I can stay home, I do. And I usually can without trouble since I can either work from home or take the day off. It's often not a problem to get around in a blizzard here, but it would be if the same number of people were on the roads as drive on a usual day.
Worked for 30 years at a large Fed. agy. in the Baltimore area. They would frequently close or close early in big storms. When they didn't close, you could use some of your annual leave (vacation) time and stay home. The agy., like most fed. workplaces, was very liberal.
In my 20s, I didn't mind driving in the mess, but by the time I got to 50, forget about it. Two snowflakes and I stayed home or left work early.
It's got nothing to do with the size of your car, but the quality/condition of your tires.
Gross weight can have a significant impact on how your car handles in slick conditions. Hence the reason why people who own pick-ups usually pack their beds with sandbags or tires.
But also, a good pair of snow tires can make a difference if you don't mind dishing out the additional $1000 for a good set.
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