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Windshield wipers in a drizzle
Yesterday morning on my way to work there was a gentle drizzle falling from the skies over Dallas. As is the case, this caused traffic to be bad, because people cannot figure out how to drive in the rain. Yes, the roads are more slick, so you shouldn’t go 90. No, the roads are not a sheet of ice, so you don’t need to go 30 on the freeway.
That’s a longstanding complaint, and it’s probably true globally. But here’s what really baffles me:
Why do some people turn their windshield wipers on high during a drizzle?
I’m the type of driver that turns on my wipers at the last possible moment — I hate the sound of windshield wipers on overly-dry glass, so I’m more apt to wait too long to turn them on a slow intermittent setting rather than turn them on too early. During yesterday’s drizzle, my slowest intermittent speed was too fast — so I just did a single manual swipe every now and then.
In contrast, there are drivers that during this driving rainstorm of a drizzle had their windshield wipers set to full-speed fast as a blur wiping. Doesn’t this drive them crazy?
I suppose its possible that these people (I think I counted three, but I wasn’t really counting) have windshield wiper problems, and there’s only one speed available. I’ve never seen or heard of that happening, but perhaps it’s possible. Even if it were possible, though, I’d still much rather have to use my wipers manually than listen to the wipers rub furiously on dry windshield for my entire commute to work.
If you’re a super-fast windshield wiper in slow rain driver, please explain to me how you can drive without that driving you crazy. Thank you.
Wed December 21st, 2005 2:51 pm
Filed under Life, Observations
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Sometimes it’s because I forget about it after driving from a downpour into less-intense rain. (Unless the wipers start to squeak, which, I agree, is annoying.)
The problem I have is that, even with new wipers, they don’t seem to do a very good job at slow speeds unless my windshield has just been thoroughly washed. So I have to turn them on to higher speeds in order for the wiping effect to actually improve my visibility, rather than making it completely impossible to see, as it does at lower speeds.
My question-complaint is: Why do people pass me on the right, where I have a huge blind spot, and where there are often other slower-moving vehicles that I am passing, when the left lane is completely open and thus a far better choice? Are people afraid of the left lane for some reason? Or do they just like surprising me?
Some wipers do smear instead of wipe water. That’s a good, valid viewpoint on using wipers too fast. I suggest maybe some rain-off stuff you can get at your local auto-parts store might help that.
As far as passing on the right, it’s something everyone does that no one should. It bothers me too — but sometimes I do it, when the lane further left is moving more slowly than the right lane. In an ideal world, each lane moving left would be moving faster than the one to its right. But we do not, tragically, live in an ideal world.
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