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We don't know from the article how exactly the Jeep got in there. Maybe the mother swerved to avoid an animal or pedestrian. Stranger things have happened. I think that labeling these deaths with the broad stroke of "idiocy" is unnecessary and unqualified in this instance.
I lived in the Upper midwest of the US for my first 25 years of driving, and I never had an accident in winter weather, even as a teenager learning to drive. I moved to Connecticut and had a snow-related accident within 3 weeks. The midwest is colder and more arid than Connecticut, and snow here in CT has a higher moisture content than in the Dakotas. There is more water mixed with the snow in general, and it melts more than sublimates -- it's more slippery on the road. Who knew? My accident was T-boning a parked car on a deserted street at about 8 mph. Was I an idiot? I think I simply encountered something I hadn't encountered before, even though I am a safe and experienced driver. I'm also thankful no one was hurt.
Something happened, a car crashed, and the woman and her child died. That's sad, first and foremost. Secondly, we don't know exactly what happened. We can make slightly educated guesses, but there were no witnesses to the crash, according to the article. Third, simply believing that you are a vigilant and careful driver doesn't make accident victims idiots. Fourth, the design of the road very clearly played a part in this accident, according to the people interviewed in the article. And lastly, if you claim to be 1) a new (thus inexperienced) driver, 2) driving at highway speeds in hydroplaning conditions, and 3) exceeding those speeds, I think your behavior speaks for your judgement as a driver. You seem far luckier than vigilant, based on what you wrote about your own driving in inclement conditions. I genuinely hope you don't need to slide off the road into a canal to find that out.
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less I say, smarter I am
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