I'm sitting looking out the window watching cars come to a sliding stop in the inch of snow outside, and it gave me reason to make a few comments about people and winter driving.

1. Slow down.
2. Slow down. I don't care if you have 4 wheel drive, you may have traction to go, but you don't to stop.
3. Make slow movements. Your car will slide because you are doing things too fast. It's all about the coefficient of friction - jerk your wheel, gas pedal, or the brakes, and the car reacts too fast. Make gradual stops, accelerate slowly, and turn slow and things won't go out of control
5. Lastly, I'm spreading the word - DOWN SHIFT. If you are braking and start to slide, down shifting (even in an automatic) will slow your car. By putting the engine in a lower gear (I'm not talking about going from 50mph to 1 gear here - what are you going 50mph for in the snow anyway, jerk in a SUV???), it will slow the car down.

And after it is done snowing, please remove the snow from your car BEFORE you get on the expressway. Nothing I hate more then the guy with 4 inches of snow on his hood that expects going fast on the expressway to save those extra few seconds with a snow brush.

Good luck, and drive safe.

Hey, I'm sometimes the guy with just a 3" by 8" spot cleaned of the windshield to peer out of.

Grab your video recorder!!! This will probably make for good entertainment at a Christmas party However, I do hope that no one gets hurt through all that.

If you pull your emergency brake, you can do some really cool donuts.

For further clarification, people in Texas *do not* know how to drive in that kind of weather. We are not used to it therefore causing us to end up sliding into ditches. Last time I tried that (back in 1984) I did just that. It was fun, but I had to leave my car and walk.

News is showing cars in Ft. Worth sliding all over the road.

Quote:

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the guy with 4 inches of snow on his hood

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or the guy with that much snow or more on his car ROOF, so when he hits his brakes in panic it ALL slides down on his windshield, completely blinding him! Looks hilarious, but it's dangerous.

Good tips, Skunk. I learned to drive in snow many years ago in your part of the country.

And please...if you are retired, have no where to go, when it snows or is -30 out, stay home!!! I don't like following the seniors who continually ride their brakes, won't speed up over 10 and can't see over the steering wheel when the roads are bad!!! Tell your grandparents to stay home!!!

We got a little snow this morning, 1.75 - 2.00 inches in Southeast Missouri. It amazes me that so many people forget how to drive from the previous winter. The ones who infuriate and scare me are the ones who have to tailgate.

Here is a funny story about a little snow/ice storm. I was stationed in Charleston, SC. It was 1987 and we received a little snow and ice. No one knew what to do, knew how to drive, it was hilarious. By 9:00 AM most of the snow had melted away, but the city public works department decided to get out and sand the bridges going over the Cooper River. Here is their ideal of a sand truck, two guys in the back of a pick-up with shovels. By the end of the day when everything had dried out, there were cars wrecking left and right on the bridge slipping in the sand.

Good Luck everyone.

Seadevil

And, shifting your car into neutral before braking allows the brakes to work more efficiently because they are not working against the engine pushing the car forward.

Skunk Boy - I think you forgot #4 on your list. As I remember it from Drivers Ed it should be, "SLOW DOWN".

Hey, it's not just grandparents. The best winter driving tip is ....if you don't absolutely have to, don't! Everything can wait till tomorrow after the trucks have had a chance to plow and salt. It's a great time to tuck in and bake Christmas cookies!

That Girl, I live in Michigan and I wonder how the H$## could people have forgotten how to drive. We are expecting 6+ inches tonight. I told a friend that I can't stand driving in the AM, she responded I should get a Jeep (she's in realestate(sp) and can cancel, not like banking. I said that I can drive fine, it's the other idiots on the road. You would think after years of living here they would get it! I drove 4 teens home from school today and they all are predicting a snow day, don't even get me started on that! I told them there are no snow days unless they become teachers! At least not in this neck of the woods!

Don't forget to mention the bald tires.

Oh, yeah... and my tires were so bald you could see the wire on some of them... I like to live life on the edge.

In Texas, I find that there are bunches of Northerns who think they know how to drive in our cold weather. What they are not used to is the "black ice.' Driving on snow gives you some traction. I know, I learned to drive in Chicago during two of the snowiest winters they ever had. Driving on ice gives you no traction. A four wheel drive vehicle just has 4 wheels spinning out of control rather than 2.

The other thing these y snow state people forget is: Even if they know how to drive in this weather, nobody else on the streets does. Even if you can keep it going in a straight line, if the other guy doesn't, then you've just arrived at the scene of an and are a main participant.

I had a former employer who made me so mad. He would drive in to work and expect you to do the same just because he could. What he did not understand is that I am not so worried about my driving because I am careful and learned in bad weather. I am worried about everyone else. I don't stay home to avoid causing a wreck. I stay home to avoid the other guy who is going to cause a wreck.

If it snows, drive slowly.

If roads are iced over, stay home.

I remember in the past when it did snow in Texas, everything would close down. There would be no stores open. Most everyone did stay home b/c we didnt know what else to do. How silly we were then. People are just plain crazy nowadays.

what's 'black ice'?

Exhaust freezes to the street making for extremely slippery conditions. Typically the temp is below zero. Too cols for salt to melt it and it's nearly invisible. If you live in the North, you learn when to expect it and take precautions.

Also add to the list- when cleaning off your car, make sure you clean off your headlights and tail lights. It's always sad to see some dimwit driving down the road as if he can't see a blasted thing because... well, because he can't see a blasted thing thanks to the two inches of snow caked onto his headlights.

I spent a winter in Knoxville, TN once and they haven't a clue how to drive in the snowy conditions either. When I asked them when the salt trucks usually come out, they looked at me questioningly and said, "What are salt trucks for?" It seems they wait three days for it to melt on its own, then if it doesn't, they throw dirt on it. And the dirt mixes into mud, making the roads slippery AND dirty.

Because Wisconsin gets so much snow, the road crews have their jobs down to a science to get the roads clear and salted or sanded before the school buses get going in the morning. But, we also follow SB's advice, SLOW. In speed and movements. The standard line on every weather report is "There's some snow, so please allow yourself extra time to get to your destination."

**RANT WARNING**

We get black ice in Illinois and there really isn't much you can do when you have to drive in it, but SLOW DOWN. I have a big, new 4x4 truck my husband wanted me to drive to work the other day and I said "NO WAY! There are too many idiots out there that can't drive in snow!" Instead, I drive my all wheel drive 1997 Ford (which handles wonderfully in the snow) so if some moron hits me, it will be sad, but not as devasting as hitting that new truck!

That said, I think employers should not force or punish people who don't come in or come in late to work. It is much safer for everyone if people who cannot or don't know how to drive in snow stay home. Maybe they should pass ANOTHER law?!?!?

Lastly, snow removal in WI, MI and MN is superior to IL - hands down. I give them a lot of credit. But in IL, we generally get snow and 45mph wind gusts that drift roads shut as soon as the plow moves through (nothing but fields for miles)or hords of traffic. Imagine trying to get a snow plow down 94 during rush hour. I would bet in a 1/4 mile stretch there are hundreds of cars and no one is moving. The plow can't get there. People complain, because they do not understand the logistics of it. It's winter, you chose to live in a snowy, wintry climate - DEAL WITH IT!