Job pressures keep drivers plowing through the snow to work
Reprints
“Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds” is supposed to be the mail carriers motto, but the people of the Pacific Northwest seem to think it applies to all jobs.
Or, they at least think that’s the view of their bosses.
According to a study from PEMCO Mutual Insurance, many residents of the region continue to drive to work through snow and ice despite the obvious perils because they feel pressure to go into their workplaces and in part because they feel confident in their driving skills.
The survey, conducted by FBK Research of Seattle, asked 578 Washington and 427 Oregon residents for their views on driving in inclement weather and an assessment of their skills.
Almost two-thirds, 62% of respondents, feel some pressure to go to work even when it snows, the survey found, a slight decrease from the 66% who answered the same way in a similar poll five years ago.
More than two-thirds, 69% prefer to drive themselves when they do go to work during cold and icy conditions, the survey found.
Drivers in the two states also appear to think they’re at least as good a driver as others, although there is a substantial difference between genders, with 63% of Washington men responding they believe they’re more skillful than other drivers on the road, while only 39% of Washington thought they were better drivers. Among Oregonians, there was a similar disparity, with 53% of men and 35% of women claiming to be a “more skillful driver” than most.
