It rained in L.A. on Sunday. It was November, before Thanksgiving. According to the LA Times: "Rain triggers 570% surge in Los Angeles County freeway crashes.
According to statistics from the California Highway Patrol, between 9 p.m. Sunday and 1 a.m. Monday there were 201 reported crashes on L.A. County’s freeways — a 570% increase from the same period last week when the CHP counted 30 crashes."
We had an inch of rain in L.A. on Sunday. One inch. During the same weekend my old hometown, in upstate NY, got 18 inches ... of snow.
An inch of rain in Los Angeles caused a 570% increase in freeway crashes. Bad drivers? Not exactly.
After moving to Los Angeles years ago from the East Coast I noticed that drivers in L.A. do not know how to drive in the rain. Instead of slowing down, they speed up - I think to get to their destination faster and get out of the rain quicker. No, I am not kidding. They also do not understand that the road gets slippery when wet and they do not leave extra stopping distance between their vehicle and the vehicle in front of them. Are L.A. drivers rain-stupid? Yes. Probably because they have no experience in driving in inclement weather. We get 330 sunny days a year in L.A. -- and no snow or ice.
Los Angelenos also tend to stay home from work if it's raining, even a little bit. How's THAT for an excuse not to go to work? "OMG, I can't go out, it's RAINING!" What, they'll melt?
And, on Wednesday December 22, we had a little rain again. According to MyNewsLA: "Nearly 200 crashes were reported in Los Angeles County freeways as a result of the rain that fell in the first of two storm systems forecast to strike the Southland , authorities said.
The California Highway Patrol said there were 191 traffic crashes from 5 p.m. Wednesday to midnight. That’s more than three times as many accidents as on a dry day, said CHP Officer Dion Conley ....
Rainfall totals ranging from a tenth of an inch to a half-inch are expected across Los Angeles and Ventura counties"
Yes, L.A. is different. And trendy. And weird. And warm and sunny. I moved here from the East Coast decades ago, and continue to live here, for the warm and sunny weather. On New Year's Day it is usually 70+ degrees and sunny in L.A. And it rarely rains. But, thanks to my teenage years in upstate New York, I do remember how to drive in the rain. And snow. And ice. And, no, I don't miss those cold days (and weeks) of heavy rain, thigh-high snow and icy roads. Ever.
