Unease

[Todd Lemery]

I myself don't trust other drivers and barely trust myself. I've never been at fault for any accidents, but have had a couple of close calls. I have a job that where I get called to countless accidents every year. There are three things which cause 99 percent of all accidents in my experience and they all are preventable. The first is distracted driving. Whether it's text messages or adjusting a radio, it's just paying more attention to something other than driving, if only for a couple of seconds. For chasers, that could be as simple as glancing at a radar update. A good chase partner can handle everything for you so you don't have to deal with these things.
The second is simply not seeing another vehicle or pedestrian. Sometimes people will look right at another vehicle and not even see it. That split second that they look that way, the vehicle can be blurred into the background. Think of a white car in a snow filled background. Once again, a good partner will be your second set of eyes.
The 3rd is impaired driving. This can be lack of sleep and not just drugs or alcohol. People should make an honest assessment of their ability to drive, but many don't. These are the worst drivers because they're crappy drivers the whole time and not just for a few seconds here or there.
That's why I don't trust other drivers. I could do everything right and still get wiped out. That doesn't change my mind about chasing though. I feel a hell of a lot safer out on the country roads than by any larger city.

 

[Marc R. O'Leary]

I'll continue to chase solo, but I'll also continue to chase in areas with far fewer other chasers, and generally less people...AKA Eastern Colorado.

 

[Jeff Duda]

One of the safety recommendations emerging most often in the wake of this tragedy, including in Scott's blog post, is to not chase alone. I seem to remember another thread not to long ago around the theme of whether people preferred to chase solo. I would be interested to know if any solo chasers are in fact feeling enough "unease" now to rethink chasing by themselves. And if you are someone that prefers to chase with a partner, will you still chase alone if you have to, or will you actually avoid chasing if you can't find a partner?

The people who caused the incident that prompted this thread were not chasing alone, so right away I think using that recommendation as a base for assuaging fear about getting killed while chasing really has no merit whatsoever.

Over the last three seasons I've become a solo chaser about 75% of the time. In my earlier years I basically never chased solo, but that was more due to financial and technological considerations than anything else. Also I was in an undergrad meteorology program full of enthusiastic students who enjoyed chasing. Those days have passed for me. I don't see myself making any changes to my rate of solo chasing as a result of this incident.

And to Scott, I say thank you for changing your ways. I didn't know people actually chase like that (driving some 24 hours straight, 500 miles out and back, in one day with work the next day etc.). People who chase like that scare me as much as someone who drives recklessly or drunk. You are just as impaired, if not more so, if you drive while sleepy/tired/mentally exhausted, and IMO ought not be doing that. I have been on a mental chase leash for as long as I've been chasing - if it's a one day event, I won't let myself get further out than about 7 or 8 hours or about 300 miles from home, and that's in extreme circumstances. Usually I'm uncomfortable having to drive more than about 5 hours out for an event. It's just not worth it to drive that far for me.

 

[JamesCaruso]

Distracted and tired driving is one thing but what is most unconscionable is the Russian Roulette game of actually blasting over a rise in the opposite lane, or running through an intersection, just rolling the dice that no other vehicle will be there. Not saying that happened in the recent tragedy but other posters have mentioned witnessing such incidents. I was pondering what could possibly compel anyone to take an insane risk like that. I think it may have something to do with the mindset of chasing itself. Like a football player with his game face on, or a boxer with the eye of the tiger, some chasers are in that mode where they are already taking calculated risks with the storm, and that sense of invulnerability carries over to their driving decisions. Just one more calculated risk for them. Needless to say, while calculated risks on the storm affect only them, the risks taken while driving endanger others.


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[Paul Knightley]

I think the only thing you can do is take that unease and put it to good use: Make sure you do everything you can to be as sensible as possible and also watch out for the 'other guy' as much as possible when driving. Defensive driving requires a good deal of concentration, but ultimately you get more and more adept at anticipating others' actions, and so you're able to take evasive action earlier. However, you cannot prepare for every eventuality, and you just have to get around to accepting that. 'What ifs' cross all of our minds from time to time, and I think they do so a bit more as you get older (I'm in my early 40s) - but you have to try to short-circuit some of them and get on with life.

 

[John Farley]

I usually chase solo, partly because I don't have other chasers in my area but largely because I like to succeed or fail based on my own forecast and decisions. Perhaps in part for that reason, I am a more cautious chaser. I stay farther from the storm than most, which has both costs and payoffs. Last year on the Dodge City storm, for example, I did not get the dramatic close-up video and pictures that others did, and for a time lost the tornadoes in the rain because of my distance and angle. OTOH, I literally had a spot to myself where I watched the formation of the first strong tornado, my only company being a few singing birds and some cows. And I was still able to document six of the tornadoes that the storm produced. So a trade-off. I avoid anything more than a glance at the radar while I am driving - if I have to do more, I now stop. That is based on the realization that there were times in the past when I was too distracted, and I really try to avoid that now. I almost never chase at night, and usually if I have far to go I will preposition the night before and find a motel at the end of the day rather than driving home late into the night. Yes, the fact that I am retired and do not have to get back for work is helpful in this regard. I do not live-stream and if I need to alert the NWS to an ongoing situation I call in - I use only the technology I need to find and document the storm. Pictures and videos can be posted later. I guess what I am saying is that there are many factors that go into chasing safely. I think it is possible to chase safely solo (after all, I have been doing it for more than 20 years), but there are trade-offs and some things you need to do in order to avoid distraction and make yourself safe. Have I made mistakes and been a danger to myself or others - yes, at least a couple times, and any chaser who is honest with themself will likely have the same answer. But I always try to learn from my mistakes so that I do not repeat them. And I strongly agree with what was said in another thread - whether you chase solo or with others, indeed in driving and life in general - complacency is the enemy and we should try our best to avoid it.

 

[Shane Adams]

Chaser deaths aside, I'll take this in a different direction...I think perhaps your age plays a factor in your unease; we tend to mature as we grow older, and responsibilities away from the chase begin to take precedence. We worry about work, bills, safety, all of that.

I do feel some unease at times, but for me it's mostly just real world crap that I try to push into the back of my mind. I really struggled with it for a number of years recently, but I've gradually trained myself to literally "turn off" the real world and just focus on the chasing when it's time to chase. Back in the day my "chasing mode" was 24/7, it was never off. Unfortunately life has a way of goading you into having to think about other things besides tornadoes and the open road, and because I was so singularly-focused for so many years, it really affected my ability to chase successfully. I couldn't focus on the storms because I would start thinking about the lost day's wages and how it would affect us the following week. Or being 400 miles from home and having to work the next day. It got to the point where I was actually considering giving it up, because - at the time - I couldn't chase well enough to justify the expense/time lost. So I had to figure out what was more important to me: feeling secure about my day-to-day life and just being another regular guy, or continuing to chase my passion and just let "life" go f itself while I was out on the road. I decided on the latter, because for me, there really wasn't a decision to make.

It's taken some adjustment, but I'm finding that balance. I think it's different for each individual.

 

[Paul Lemery]

Joshua, I wouldn't worry about having a little trepidation and unease out there. It can be a good thing. We aren't baking cookies and having a little fear may very well help you pay attention to your safety and keep you from making bad mistakes. I quit driving a motorcycles because I became reckless; no fear. If that happens when chasing I'll know its time to stop.

 

[Peter Wharton]

Unease is a good thing, making sure your wits are about you, in what can be a dangerous situation, not to mention the severe weather [emoji4]


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