There are tons of stories about poor unfortunates being caught out by the weather last week – in both Storm Emma, and it’s predecessor – and whilst they no doubt had a terrible time being stuck on roads or trains, should we be uncritically sympathetic?
As an extreme example, Friday brought stories about the poor motorists stuck on the M80 overnight. Yet to get stuck, they would have to travel during a red weather warning. And these warnings were not exactly difficult to find.
And the reason for travelling?
- Making deliveries. Very few deliveries are so urgent they cannot wait 24 hours.
- Trying to get to the airport to catch a flight for a netball competition. Sorry, but a netball competition isn’t more important than your life.
- Travelling home from work? Get a hotel room.
- Travelling to catch a show? Really??
It would be interesting to see the media start questioning people in such circumstances a bit more. Just ask them why did they travel, and whether it was important enough to ignore the warnings.
Grazing In The Misty Morning