Ready for some quick math?

First, you'll need the numbers. Over 70 percent of the nation's roads are located in areas of the country where snow comes around every year, and some 70 percent of the American population lives in an area that experiences snowy winters.

Yup, here in Sullivan County we are just a tiny part of a very big American story.

Here's where things get dicey. According to statistics from the US Department of Transportation, every year, more than 2,000 people are killed in winter-related car crashes, and nearly 200,000 more are injured.

For those of us living in winter climes, it's a foregone conclusion that you'll find yourself driving in the snow and ice at some point every winter.

But if 2020 taught us anything, it's that staying home is an option for a lot more people than we ever realized it.

If 2020 taught employers anything, it's that there's little reason to make staffers come into an office when they can get all their work done at home.

Here's the quick math problem for you.

If thousands of people risk death and injury driving to work when the roads are a complete mess but 0 people drive to work, then what percentage of people are at risk of something terrible happening?

You don't need common core to answer, do you?

Granted, there will never be a situation where 0 people hit the roads. Our road crews themselves are often taken for granted — it's forgotten that they not only have to drive to get to the headquarters to climb in their giant plow trucks but also spend their hours out in the most treacherous conditions.

And, of course, we've all been reminded of the essential workers, the backbone of our lives, the people who keep us going, who keep us alive.

But simple statistics dictate that the fewer of us on the roads, the fewer accidents. Even allowing a few hundred office folks to work the morning from their dining room tables clears the roads up to make them that much safer for those who don't have the option.

Yes, 70 percent of the nation's roads are in snowy climates, and 70 percent of us live here.

But 0 percent of us should be lost or hurt when there's a better option out there.