plowin-mog-web__6008For the last two weeks, almost every aspect of our daily lives has been disrupted by a lot of crystalline water ice precipitation, known to the masses as SNOW. Now, I don’t know if it’s something wrong with me, but I actually really don’t like snow one little bit. I just can’t see the pleasure in it  for an adult. Sure, it was fun when I was at school and we were able to hurl snowballs at each other, but as a 40 year old trying to run a business, it’s just not quite as amusing.

The fact is that here in England, the slightest bit of snow that settles on the ground causes chaos and destruction on a scale virtually unknown during peacetime. Within an hour of the first snowfall, we were already receiving calls from customers who’d slid into kerbs and buckled their wheels and bent their suspension and steering arms. Managers of bodyshops and accident repair centres rubbed their hands with glee, knowing that they’d be busy for weeks and main dealer parts departments enjoyed bumper sales of well, bumpers, as well as alloy wheels and suspension wishbones at £200 a pop!

The AA and RAC reported their busiest days for 30 years and anyone unfortunate enough to break down or crash could expect a 5 hour wait for recovery. Even when they did arrive to rescue you, the liklehood of their front wheel drive Volkswagen or Renault vans being able to tow you anywhere were pretty remote as the wheels just spin on the icy slush, so another few hours to wait for a flatbet lorry of 4 x 4 awaits. Live up even a ‘mild incline’? Well, forget about using your car at all for a while as you’ll run the risk of sliding all the way down, or being stuck at the bottom.  Even the leafy suburbs of Surrey were strewn with abandoned cars, whose owners had simply left in order to trudge their frozen way to work. Of course, if you’re a working parent there’d be no point in going to work as naturally, all the schools close the instant the first snowflake falls and you’ll have to stay at home to look after the kids! Strangely enough,  I don’t remember ever having a day off school due to snow, but then it wasn’t a society obsessed with health and safety or fearful of being sued should a child slip and fall.

Contrast this misery and chaos with the rather different scenario I witnessed just 3 weeks ago during my holiday to the area of Germany known as the Black Forest. During our stay, the snow started falling and quickly settled whilst we were halfway up a mountain. Did any cars skid off the road? Did all the shops close as the staff couldn’t get there? No, of course not. The first thing I saw was a very big 4 x 4 Unimog snow plough clearing the roads, whilst dispensing grit from the huge hopper on the back. Result, the snow barely had a chance to settle and the roads remained clear. The drivers all exercised a degree of care that ensured I didn’t see so much as a skid, whilst warmly-dressed householders and shopkeepers dutifully cleared the areas in front of their properties, ensuring the pavement stayed passable. All in all, there was barely any disruption at all and it was very much ‘business as usual’. It really made me wonder if perhaps the snow that fell there was in some way different to the similar looking stuff that brings our great nation to a virtual standstill. A quick feel and taste confirmed to be identical, yet utterly different in effect.

 

Anyway, enough of the moaning as it’s starting to melt now and according to the forecast, we might not have any more until at least next month. I think I’ll begin stockpiling rock salt and buying some shovels and brooms. I might also buy a few Vauxhall Corsa suspension arms, wheels and steering rods, just in case!

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