Why Do Minnesotans Insist On Doing These Annoying Things During Winter?

Minnesotans take pride in their savviness when it comes to conquering (or at least dealing with) brutal winter conditions. Whether it is a big snowstorm or brutal cold, residents of the North Star State are (understandably) confident in their abilities to deal with the extremes we're handed during winter.

While those living in Minnesota are generally better-equipped to deal with wintery challenges, there are some things Minnesotans do that just confuse the heck out of me. As someone who has lived in Minnesota my entire life, I just don't understand why some people do these things.

Vehicle Heat

On more than one occasion, I've gotten into a vehicle with someone who has their heater fan on full-blast right away, blowing cold air in your face. I've asked some of these people why they do this, and the most common response is "It will warm the vehicle up quicker".

The engine isn't even warm yet! All you're doing is blowing cold air in your face.

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Maybe it's a psychological trick to try to "feel warm", but you really won't be making an impact on the temperature of the interior of your vehicle until you start seeing the temperature gauge on your vehicle tick upward at least a little.

Parking

This is one a lot of people complain about, yet it never changes.

Go to any store or the local mall and you'll see people that just look like they threw their vehicle in park wherever they felt like stopping and shut their engine off. I understand it can be hard to see the lines sometimes, but some people seem like they don't even try.

READ MORE: Mistakes Minnesotans make when starting their vehicle during cold weather

Even beyond seeing the lines, some people just park their car right in front of whatever store they are visiting when it is cold. I understand there are situations where you might be loading something into a vehicle, picking up or dropping someone off, or other exceptions. I am talking about the people who just park in front of the door.

Yes, it is cold out. But what makes you cool enough to park in the fire lane, blocking traffic, when everyone else is parking where they're supposed to?

Vehicle Heat, Part 2

This one is a little more niche, but I've been in a vehicle with more than one person who gets into a bizarre cycle.

The people in question will crank the heat all the way up. Then it gets too hot, so they turn it all the way down. Then it gets too cold, so the heat gets put back on full blast. Why not just set it somewhere in the middle and not get into this unending cycle?

Even better, many newer vehicles allow you to set a thermostat like in your home. You can pick a temperature, and your vehicle will automatically increase and decrease the heat/fan to maintain that temperature.

Leaving Your Trash On The Lake

This one is for the ice anglers out there. Since the pandemic, there has been an increasing number of people who appear to think it is ok to leave their garbage on the lake when they're done ice fishing. It has gotten so bad, there have been some new rules put in place to penalize people for doing this.

Even if you're not "environmentally conscious", why trash the place you enjoy fishing? Nobody is going to come clean up after you.

Not Scraping & Sweeping

After every snowfall or frosty morning, you could probably place a winning wager on seeing at least one person driving around with a tiny hole scaped clear on their windshield or just enough snow swept off their vehicle to (barely) see the road.