OAKLEY - Tyrone Weathers paces on the sidewalk on Paxton Avenue. A sixteenth of an inch of snow powders the road. Snowflakes dot Tyrone's black winter cap. He is not happy.

"Look at this woman," Tyrone says. He gestures at a Dodge Neon travelling at four miles an hour. In front of the Neon, the road is empty; in back, cars are lined up as far as we can see. The road surface is level. Tyrone continues, "She has no clue how to drive on snow. It's pathetic." He pauses. "It's dangerous."

Tyrone is a member of Keep Hamilton County Safe (KHCS). Alarmed by how the tiniest of snowfalls locks the city's traffic into near-permanent gridlock, KHCS conducted a year-long study on how to solve the problem. They believe they have found an answer: Hamilton County must require some sort of certification or license to operate a motor vehicle.

As the Neon slowly crawls down the street away from us, Tyrone talks about KHCS's plan for the county. "We aren't radicals," he says. "But we think that if people had to pass some sort of rudimentary test—just a basic, quick demonstration that they have driven a car before at some point in their lives—then people like the idiot driving this Neon could be kept off the roads."

Nearby, a Nissan Maxima spins its tires as the driver tries to pull up a steep driveway into the street. The Maxima spins its tires again. And again. A pause, then again, and again for a fifth time. A cloud of tire smoke drifts above the houses as the Maxima spins its tires some more.

As the gray sky darkens into night, and the honking of horns blends into the shriek of the Maxima's still-spinning tires, the Neon dawdles down the road. It has traveled nearly seventy yards during the interview with Tyrone. "And miles to go before we sleep," he says quietly.