A wet reminder

Freeway travelers on Christmas Day were treated to what counts in

Southern California as blizzard conditions, driving around 40 mph in

the fast lane when cavernous puddles weren’t serving as natural

anti-lock brakes.

Whether out-of-towners from areas that see real blizzards like it,

Southern California storm travel is slow, especially on a crowded day

like Christmas.

However frustrating it might be, frequent lane changes and the

philosophy of getting ahead on the road aren’t smart tactics when

navigating a rainy Southern California freeway or busy, wet side

street. People are afraid, and speeding SUVs that blanket cars on

either side with ground water often make blanketed drivers do

irrational things -- like swerving suddenly away from the water.

The smartest tactic when driving in extreme Orange County weather

is to follow the herd. Pretend there’s a pace car ahead, safely

leading each member of the freeway pack gradually to one’s

destination. Add the factor of holiday drivers to the mix and expect

to move that much more gradually.

Newport-Mesa escaped the storm relatively unscathed -- with fallen

trees, flashing traffic signals and annoying burglar alarms

headlining the damage -- but residents driving on freeways likely saw

their share of flashing automobiles’ lights and close calls,

especially in the evening. They also likely spent a good part of

Christmas dinner talking about it.

Our San Bernardino County neighbors didn’t have it so easy.

Mudslides from the storm killed six people and about 10 more --

mostly children -- were missing as of Friday.

Even though our area largely avoided the wrath of the biggest

storm of the season on one of its most heavily traveled days, our

residents need to stay aware and keep in mind what awaits the next

big trip. The National Weather Service is predicting rain on New

Year’s Eve, so another round could be ahead -- although probably not

as dramatic. Mix alcohol with light rain, though, and the potential

drama level rises above that created by an Alaskan storm system.

Remember that we’re driving with Californians, not seasoned

Alaskans.