Watch CBS News

Keller @ Large: Boston Drivers Bad In All Seasons

BOSTON (CBS) - If the forecast holds, today is shaping up to be one of the better weather days of the summer, partly sunny, highs in the 70s, a pleasant breeze out of the northeast.

A good day to appreciate how easy and relaxed life becomes during a New England summer, even if you're stuck working.

Listen to Jon's commentary:

Podcast

No boots, no parka, no endless wait for the commuter rail, no white-knuckle driving situations on the road... actually, strike those last two.

Some things don't seem to change with the seasons, and our local transportation horror show is one of them.

The typical midsummer late-afternoon downpours we had yesterday reportedly wreaked havoc on the commuter rail timetables.

Is there any form of weather, including fog, dew, or dusk, that doesn't also make those trains run late?

And as for the roads, what I saw during a brief outing during the rainfall was appalling, but not surprising.

Some drivers flooring it through puddles as if the trick was to beat the raindrops home.

Other drivers coming to a complete stop in the worst of the rain, as if a sudden downpour gives you license to turn a thruway into a parking lot.

Swerving, tailgating, all the stupid driver tricks we've come to enjoy during wintertime blizzards.

But blaming it on the rain is too easy.

It seems to me that there's a segment of the local motoring public that panics at the sight of 90-degree heat, rolling up those windows, slamming that AC on high, and driving like crazed zombies created by toxic fallout, like in the movie "Night of the Living Dead."

Is it the heat, or mania brought on by the sounds of the greatest summer hits of all time on the radio?

I don't know.

All I know is, if you don't like Boston drivers in the winter, chances are you won't like them in any other season, either.

You can listen to Keller At Large on WBZ News Radio every weekday at 7:55 a.m. and 12:25 p.m. You can also watch Jon on WBZ-TV News.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.