It’s that time of year again. Drive cautiously !

I’m sure most of you don’t need to be made aware of the hazards of driving wintery conditions.
It’s important to get those snow tires on or all season radials and do your best to drive according to street and highway conditions.

I can’t help but think of all those who drive for a living, especially those just learning to drive winter conditions. My prayers are with you. Even if you are a seasoned pro, all it takes is for some other car to skid out.

I was shocked to read once that some companies make their employees sign contracts stating they would not let driving conditions deter them from getting to work. I say fooey on that nonsense. If the roads are like skating rinks the smart thing to do is stay home.

I remember one year the police begging people to stay home. It was so icey the emts and their vehicles were getting in accidents and there was no one to help them. They got a bit of help from air rescue.

Going to drop a few videos here ...
And finally... stay safe this winter !

a reply to: Sheye

The problem in my area is the fact that people forget how to drive on snow and ice every year. We get two inches of snow and they want to shut the city down. Get a car going 60 miles an hour on slick conditions is just asking for it.

originally posted by: PhilbertDezineck
a reply to: Sheye

The problem in my area is the fact that people forget how to drive on snow and ice every year. We get two inches of snow and they want to shut the city down. Get a car going 60 miles an hour on slick conditions is just asking for it.

They must forget because the first snowfall is usually the highest in accidents around here. Plus people don’t take into account we can have a freak snowstorm in October, and once again they are caught without proper tires in terrible winter conditions.

Speed is huge .. slowing down slowly.. accelerating slowly.. it makes a big difference.

I actually really got into those Canadian heavy vehicle rescue shows a while ago. Like 'Highway Thru Hell' and 'Heavy Rescue: 401'.

I can't personally even comprehend how people could even survive in those type of conditions, let alone drive in them... Its crazy stuff.

Thank You Sheye!!

Mentioned just in time. Took me 1hr.20min to drive 12 miles home from work. Everything tonight is a skating rink with precious few salt trucks out.

My two cents worth,
People who drive in whiteout conditions with their high beams on? There has to be a special place in the afterlife for them! Perchance did Dante have an 8th level of hell?

On the bright side most people were doing a "hot 20 mph". Even the big pickup trucks and supposedly badass SUV's.

a reply to: Sheye

I don't understand why people think they can drive fast on snow/ice just because their cars are 4x4.

a reply to: Caver78

Mentioned just in time. Took me 1hr.20min to drive 12 miles home from work. Everything tonight is a skating rink with precious few salt trucks out.

That is one virtue you need plenty of for winter driving. PATIENCE ! Don’t try to make that quick left before oncoming traffic when the roads are slick. You accelerate quickly, spin on ice and are now a target for the oncoming traffic.😮

Drive slower.. even if it means you’re late. Better late than not making it at all. Yep.. patience is key, besides all those nifty vehicle handling tricks you can learn for ice.

I was fired from a job driving a liquor delivery truck on the morning a hurricane was rolling in.
I will name no names.
I just told the boss "I am not driving a truck loaded down with a ton of hooch in this weather."
I was fired on the spot. He was a crabby old jack ass anyway. No love lost.
No need in telling how that story ended, but let's just say it was good ditch scavenging for the boozers in the aftermath.
I made the right call and ol' assholiness got mud in his eye for being stupid.

If you got a rear wheel drive vehicle take your foot off the gas and turn into the skid .

If you’ve got a front wheel drive vehicle take your foot off the gas and hope you grab some traction while steering in the direction you want to go .

a reply to: Sheye

True story: Last night the hubs and I were watching television when it started to snow. I swear within 5 minutes of the first flakes falling we heard all kinds of sirens going past at the bottom of the hill. Turns out a lady lost control of her vehicle and got slammed by a bus and died.

I firmly believe that people shouldn't receive a drivers license until they have taken a driving test during snow/ice conditions and/or pouring down rain- depending on where you live!

a reply to: Fallingdown
Thanks for throwing some advice into the thread. 👍🏼

originally posted by: Homefree
I was fired from a job driving a liquor delivery truck on the morning a hurricane was rolling in.
I will name no names.
I just told the boss "I am not driving a truck loaded down with a ton of hooch in this weather."
I was fired on the spot. He was a crabby old jack ass anyway. No love lost.
No need in telling how that story ended, but let's just say it was good ditch scavenging for the boozers in the aftermath.
I made the right call and ol' assholiness got mud in his eye for being stupid.

I wouldn’t be driving anything in hurricane weather.. let alone a haul like that. I think every employee should have the legal right to not put themselves or loved ones in harms way ,by driving or being driven ,in dangerous conditions. It should be a law. Lots of stuff would get canceled.. but better safe than sorry.

a reply to: GeauxHomeYoureDrunk

I firmly believe that people shouldn't receive a drivers license until they have taken a driving test during snow/ice conditions and/or pouring down rain- depending on where you live!

That’s not a bad idea.. bet it would have scared some peeps off from driving if their exam didn’t go well.
The thing about icy weather is it’s almost safer to drive at slow speeds than walk. You can really hurt yourself walking and many try and get errands done that way in icy conditions because they don’t want to drive. Even if it’s a measly two blocks, depending on the amount of ice, you can fall holding groceries and seriously hurt yourself on ice.

My advice... STAY HOME unless it’s an emergency.. until the ice subsides.. which in most cases shouldn’t be long.

I grew up driving in snow and ice conditions, and as others have noted, it can come at any time of year. It's not uncommon to get snowed on in July here sometimes. Especially in the mountains. That rush to get somewhere is going to take infinitely longer when you try to stop...and realize you can't stop, then crash.

Many cities no longer use salt on icy roads, they've switched to chemicals like magnesium chloride and other deicing chemicals. What a lot of people don't realize is, these chemicals actually make the roadways MORE slick until they can work their way down to the road surface. It's no different than pouring water on top of ice. It's 10x more slick than just the ice would be alone because it smooths out the surface of the ice (just like a Zamboni does to an ice rink). So people see the plows and think everything is going to be okay, not knowing they're actually making it more slippery for a while. And, depending on temperature, some of these chemicals can take a while to work. Worse, the plows plow the snow off the ice and then apply the chemicals. You'd actually have way more traction if they just left a layer of snow.

The message is, just because the plows are out doesn't mean your winter driving worries are over. They may just be beginning!

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

The message is, just because the plows are out doesn't mean your winter driving worries are over. They may just be beginning!

🥴 ugh.. that’s just plain depressing.. yet good to know.
Sometimes I wish I was a bear.. they seem to have a healthy attitude towards winter.😂

Oh, and then there's the "4x4" thing. Some people with SUV's and 4x4's are just idiots in the snow & ice. They think because they have "Four Wheel Drive" this all of a sudden will make them invincible. Four wheel drive only matters when you're trying to move...all vehicles are "four wheel drive" when trying to stop! All properly functioning vehicles have brakes on all four wheels. I don't know how people can ever forget this, but they do, and they do it all the time! Four wheel drive means exactly ZERO when trying to stop! In fact, most four wheel drive vehicles actually have a harder time stopping than a 2WD car, simply because they have more mass and therefore more inertia to stop.