Is This Why Lawton Drivers Are So Slow In The Rain?

Like pretty much everyone in town, I made my way to work this morning in the gentle sprinkles of an October rain shower... but things were not as normal, and I found myself the bearer of bad driving.

I had to work on Saturday, we were all broadcasting from a local business in town, and since I live near that client and was expecting company immediately after, I decided to just keep the station vehicle for the weekend. It's a tiny little box of a KIA and it sat in my driveway until this morning when I came into work.

As I was driving downtown, I had the realization of why Lawton drivers normally slow to the speed of smell anytime it rains.

It's no big secret that Cache Road wasn't designed with rainwater removal in mind, so it puddles up pretty bad pretty much anywhere down the whole stretch. It's normally not noticeable, but this morning it was weirdly dreadful.

Growing up a farm-ish life, I've always had a truck. First vehicle was a truck, every mode of transportation since then was a truck.

Puddles are nothing to big tires and heavy frames... but if you swapped those 33-inch all-terrain tires for some tiny little pizza-cutters on a lightweight KIA whateveritis, those puddles start tossing your around in traffic.

It was honestly an eye-opening experience to Mario Kart myself to work in that tiny little death trap... It's no wonder the traffic slows down so much when it rains here in Lawton.

Of course, things are different in other places. I lived in Houston long ago, and rain or shine, that traffic moves at 80+ MPH... but it's a place that is made to handle rainwater and runoff. If anything, it's a reminder of just how little the City of Lawton cares about the infrastructure. We'll go $40-million in debt to build an indoor soccer/basketball recreation center but can't spend money on basic road maintenance. It's a shame.