Winter Driving: WTB Brain.

[Dhalin]

A very wise person once said, that the main danger in driving in the Winter, has nothing to do with the Snow and Ice, it is more the other cars on the road.

I'm inclined to agree.

Just yesterday on my way to work, I ran into two utter fail drivers. Well, not ran into literally, thank God.

Fail #1: Driving too slow downhill while someone is behind you. Ever heard of Newton? You know, that guy who supposedly got bonked on the head with an Apple and came up with some of the scientific laws that run our very lives? He said that there's this force that pulls things down towards the ground and he named it Gravity. If you're going downhill, and you're driving a nice Jeep, maybe it has studded tires, or maybe it just isn't very heavy... look in the mirror. See that larger car behind you? It doesn't have as good of traction.

Translation: Speed up! If you don't speed up, I'm going to slide right into you, and rear-end you. Yes, you want to go 10 MPH down over this hill... problem is, my car wants to slide at 15. I cannot go any slower than my car wants to slide. I can try and very gently ease off the speed, but if I push on the brakes just a little too hard... I'm going for a ride, and you're coming with me, in the bad way.

Fail #2: Passing Lanes are NOT for Winter-use. See that three-lane highway, where 2 lanes go one way, and 1 lane goes the other way? See all of that slush on the center lane, while the two lanes on the outside are clear? They don't plow the center as good as they do the sides. Yes, this means that if I'm doing 50 or so MPH, I don't need or want you trying to blow by me doing 70... oh whoops, you were doing 70 and hit the slush and start spinning out? Great.. I hope you do it *behind* me and not in *front* of me. I'm going 50 MPH because I'm not comfortable with the road conditions. I don't want you passing me and involving me in a pileup, thankyouverymuch.

Honestly. I'd rant more about this, maybe I'll edit or reply to this thread later, but... I got to leave for work soon and I pray I don't run into one of these idiots again.

[velveeta]

oooo you live in michigan too, dhal? every friggin year peeps in michigan forget how to drive in snow, its ridiculous, seriously......
my fave is the guys in the big 4x4s who think ice cares how many wheels you can play with.......
i am gonna start taking pix of all the bigazz trux and suvs being hauled off the side of the road because they are doing 65 and hit a big patch of black ice....... schmux

[Dhalin]

oooo you live in michigan too, dhal? every friggin year peeps in michigan forget how to drive in snow, its ridiculous, seriously......
my fave is the guys in the big 4x4s who think ice cares how many wheels you can play with.......
i am gonna start taking pix of all the bigazz trux and suvs being hauled off the side of the road because they are doing 65 and hit a big patch of black ice....... schmux

Pennsylvania.

Southwestern Pennsylvania to be exact.

Old People and Foodstamp Central as a lot of people have come to know it. Also, "Land of Taxes" too.

[Solitaire]

Ahh, close to where I was hatched so I know what you mean. Spent the majority of my life there. Except I was north of I-80. But to be honest, drivers in PA were really not all that bad in snow compared to where I am now. Since the winters here are usually long and heavy people assume that they all know how to drive in poor conditions and can handle it. I've had my doors blown off on 2 lane roads a couple of times while driving at a sane speed for conditions. Shift that land yacht into 4WD and put the hammer down!

[Veruliyam]

As I keep saying...

A 4-wheel drive doesn't mean you won't get stuck. It means you get stuck in more interesting places.

[Dragonboy]

The winter we have been having in the Netherlands is one of the most snow and cold winters in a long time, the problem is that those railway basterds cannot even keep the trains moving, forcing everyone that normally goes by train into the car... Massive traffic jams if you are lucky and loads of accidents because of truck drivers or noob drivers (most likely the train passengers) who don't drive normally if you are not lucky.

If people would only remember that it doesnt matter how slippery it is or how heavy your car is... The speed which you drive on those slippery roads is what counts most. You can drive a 16 ton truck, but you will still lose control if you drive to fast...

So I guess... WTB 17.000.000 brains.

[Romirez]

i am so glad i don't have to drive this winter.

[Dhalin]

If people would only remember that it doesnt matter how slippery it is or how heavy your car is... The speed which you drive on those slippery roads is what counts most. You can drive a 16 ton truck, but you will still lose control if you drive to fast...

Not entirely true.

Scenario:

Car A is a 90s Dodge Neon.
Car B is an 80s Crown Victoria Luxury.

Car B weighs nearly twice that of Car A so this would be a good test.

Both cars are driving down the same hill, let's say.. 40 degree down slope. The road has lots of packed snow with some ice mixed in, and both drivers are *really* nervous and are only doing 5 MPH. Car B is more likely to start sliding than Car A, especially if the two cars need to stop, or slow down for anything.

On 4WD (FWD means "Front Wheel Drive"), as its name implies, it uses all four wheels. If all four wheels are spinning and trying to drive the car, you are less likely to get stuck, as there's more chances that one of your tires will grip on something instead of slip, and with all four moving at once, you are more likely to gain enough traction to move your vehicle forward (or backward). You can, however, easily get stuck under the right conditions, and 4WD doesn't do much of anything for stopping or turning power once you have started moving.

FWD (Front Wheel Drive) also gives better traction than RWD (Rear Wheel Drive), as you can control which direction the forward force you are attempting to apply to the car, by turning your wheels. FWD cars pull the car; RWD pushes the car. RWD cars are also more likely to start fish-tailing if they can't get enough traction to move the car forward, while FWD cars tend to drag the front end back and forth when they start spinning. The latter is more controllable, due to the fact you can turn the wheels to better control which angle the force is going exactly.