Every time it rains in Southern California, newcomers to the area come out of the woodwork to bash native drivers. It's always the same conversation: "Every time it rains, people around here just go crazy!", "Learn how to drive, it's just water!", "People in [Seattle/Boston/NoCal/Wherever] don't have this problem, they drive in the rain just fine!".

I'm tired of it.

The funny thing is, it's become such a cliché that I've even had people recite the lines to me, and not even know what they're talking about. I asked someone once, "So, are you saying people here drive too fast, too slow, or what?", "Uh, I don't know, they're just idiots!". Yeah, nice argument.

Thankfully, I'm here to give you the truth (don't worry, you can thank me later). You know what I see when I'm on the freeways in the rain here? A lot of very sensible drivers taking reasonable precautions due to the conditions. Why are there a lot of accidents when it rains in Southern California? Two reasons. First, accidents are more likely when it rains after a dry spell (see this article from drivers.com). Second, and most important, there are more accidents when it rains in Southern California than in Seattle because there are a lot more cars on the road in Southern California. Accident rates go up everywhere in bad weather, it's just magnified here because of the huge number of drivers.

So there you have it. Now, can we please stop with this nonsense? It's boring and makes you sound like an idiot.

</rant>