The first real winter weather has hit West Michigan, and once again, it seems like everyone has forgotten how to drive on slippery roads. Is it really that hard to remember to slow down and leave lots of extra space between you and the car you are following? Really? The people who end up on the curb or in the ditch all seem to have the same surprised look on their faces. They can't all be from Florida experiencing their first winter drive.
Then there are those people in their four-wheel-drive vehicles. (Full disclosure: I drive one.) Apparently they imagine that having all the wheels driving the car makes the laws of physics void. Not so much. It doesn't matter how many wheels put power to the road, once the accelerator is released and brakes are applied, all vehicles are more or less equal. If the road surface is slippery, braking becomes a matter of how well the car/driver can modulate the slowing of the wheel rotation. Anti-lock brakes are a wonderful invention (when they work), and they work independently of the drive mechanics: 4WD, AWD, FWD, RWD will all skid if too much brake is applied.
Stopping on slippery roads is more or less equal between all vehicles of the same weight. Physics again dictate that a heavier vehicle will take longer to stop than a lighter vehicle; it's all about inertia and mass and other such inevitability. Good tires, bad tires, any number of drive wheels on either end of the car all skid according to the inertia and mass involved. Once a wheel has stopped turning (definition of "skid"), the laws of physics are driving and the human driver is helpless. The only way to increase traction is with studs which are illegal for us everyday folks.
While it might feel safer in a big, heavy vehicle, it is not often the case. If you are in the one hitting another vehicle which is lighter than yours, there is a small advantage. If you are hit by a smaller vehicle there is a similar small advantage. But in all other cases, size doesn't matter. If you hit an immovable object like a tree or bridge abutment, the deciding factors will be your own weight and the safety measures installed and functioning. The airbags and seat belts will help prevent injuries, but every body in a car that suddenly stops will continue to move at the previous speed until it hits something, large car or small.
If it seems like I have turned into a driver ed instructor, it may help to know that I am one, rather, I was once. So what has Heaven to do with this. The laws of physics apply to believers as well as the rest of the population. However, I believe we have the advantage of a sovereign God who cares about even our slippery commute to work, or church, or shopping, or wherever. What this means to me is not that I can speed along oblivious to conditions, but that I need not panic when black ice is more prevalent than tarmac.
If I end up in a ditch, it is because my Lord wanted me there for some reason. It may be to teach me humility regarding His physical laws related to friction. It may be that I need to witness to the tow truck driver who will pull me out. It may be that He parked me there so I would not be in the 247 car pile-up that I would have encountered. I don't know. And I don't care. I trust Him. When I was driving for a living, people used to ask if I wasn't stressed out by having to drive thousands of miles every week in bad weather. My answer has always been, "No. I trust the Lord I serve to take care of me -- no matter the weather."
This same attitude should apply to all the risks we face in our dark and dangerous world. Nothing can overtake us that is not under the watchful eye of the Creator, Sustainer, Completer God. No terrorist, mugger, stalker, geo-physical or weather demon can thwart the plans God has for us. That even has to apply when any of the above seem to overtake us; they are not in control; God is. Peter and John proved this when they led the hymn-sing in prison. My advice is to tune in to some good music and slow down; enjoy the drive and the everlasting arms in which you drive. It's my belief that you can never slip out of those arms once you are in them, no matter how slippery the road may be.
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