Things that frustrate us all
- Thread starter rhubarbodendron
- Start date
I know people who relocated from New York & Connecticut to North Carolina. That state gets about 2 to 5 inches of snow a year, depending upon the locale (and of course, some years has no snow). When it does, everybody is paralyzed. I can understand that, when you don't encounter snow very often. The skills to handle it are simply not there.
But in Connecticut? I used to live there for about a decade (and I grew up in NY). Snow every year. But on that first snowfall? Idiot abound. Accidents all over the place. These are people who should know that "snow means slow." But their ignorant habits of driving fast and tailgating don't abate... and thus, accidents. These people haven't lost their minds, but sure have lost their sensibility and perspective. Then there's the jackass people with four-wheel-drive vehicles, who think they're crash-proof. Especially those tank sized SUV's. Well, 4x4 provides traction control improvement, not dominance, when it comes to icy and snowy conditions. On the flip side, all that extra weight is a negative asset once skidding starts--greater mass means greater momentum, harder to stop.
21st Century. Era of technology gifted human idiots.
I've been driving for over 20 years and in that time at best I've driven in snow maybe 30ish times, as you said snow means slow not just driving slow but applying your brakes more progressively same with acceleration. In snowy conditions I may be braking at 10 times the distance I normally would in dry conditions. But surely one would expect in conditions you are not used to esp. snow you might take things more carefully.
yeeeah, that's dangerous. I agree. They do this a lot in Oregon. Drove me crazy. Pun intended.
I'm becoming more convinced that's a stereo type. Have you seen the freeway in Iowa? I got a video for you all
from the DOT.
@Catarina -- holy crap! That video is unnerving. Seems like most people initially slow down OK, with only some minor fender benders... but then those trucks. Those you'd expect to be the most sensible in driving slow during those kinds of conditions. Just plowing through like a giant broom. Then all those idiots flying like mad into the crash pile. If I approached that mess, I'd pull my car off the road ASAP, knowing there would be people not slowing down enough. This whole thing gave me an idea... that it's a very good idea to have a strobe flashlight of some kind with a red lens cover to flash towards oncoming traffic so they know to slow down sooner.
Okay. What I should have asked is if you use an Outlook account to sign in. I think I know what the problem is, unfortunately, there's no real fix other than doing a full restore.
Oh, that video is nothing.
If there is any country where it's citizens should know how to drive in snow, it's Russia.
Yet not only do they not know how to do it, or in rain, or in good sunny conditions, or when walking or anything else it seems (if you watch enough of these), they don't even use the breaks most of the time -- they prefer to slam into things.
Check out Youtube channel petrolhead center:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJyVgjrb0nQFdxL-3X98SfA/videos?disable_polymer=1
Or this horrific video where it looks like many of the people died:
(youtube.com/watch?v=e-qlIgx0Sv0)
If there is any country where it's citizens should know how to drive in snow, it's Russia.
Yet not only do they not know how to do it, or in rain, or in good sunny conditions, or when walking or anything else it seems (if you watch enough of these), they don't even use the breaks most of the time -- they prefer to slam into things.
Check out Youtube channel petrolhead center:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJyVgjrb0nQFdxL-3X98SfA/videos?disable_polymer=1
Or this horrific video where it looks like many of the people died:
(youtube.com/watch?v=e-qlIgx0Sv0)
Chilling! No pun, but Iowa is hardly the American South...yeeeah, that's dangerous. I agree. They do this a lot in Oregon. Drove me crazy. Pun intended.
I'm becoming more convinced that's a stereo type. Have you seen the freeway in Iowa? I got a video for you all
Snow happens here twice in a decade...
I see your point
Most of the time, I would never, ever trade living in Canada for living in the US.
This is the one single thing that would tempt me.
One thing I miss about my 20s is being able to beat the night without it feeling like any effort.
Even minor fender benders mean that they were either driving too close to the vehicle in front or too fast for the conditions and thus unable to stop in time. Yes things can happen quickly but the more time you give yourself by either driving slower or having more space between you and the vehicle in front the more likely you are to prevent a collision in conditions such as those.
I've lived in Canada for 20 years and here for 15, I'd say you really can't tell the difference most of the time, but both have some little goods and bads. I feel in Ontario they're actually so much better at snow removal, unless things have changed since I moved away?
I made my drivers license on ice and snow and never regretted it. Everyone can drive on a dry road. If you learn it under the worst conditions, you'll never have a prob.
Is it just over here or has there been far less snow (and starting much later) in your countries, too? When I was a kid, snowfall would start in mid-October and by December/January it'd be 5 feet high with about 6 inches of fresh snow every night. Now the snowfall starts in January and we scarcely get more than 3 inches in total, never more than 2 inches at a time.
Back then there were less accidents than today as everyone knew how to cope with the conditions. Nowadays, if there's just a finger's broadth of snow on the street, there are mass crashes, train cancellations, schools stay closed and emergency warningsget broadcast. Frankly, to mee it seems that both the weather and the drivers are a bit nuts.
Is it just over here or has there been far less snow (and starting much later) in your countries, too? When I was a kid, snowfall would start in mid-October and by December/January it'd be 5 feet high with about 6 inches of fresh snow every night. Now the snowfall starts in January and we scarcely get more than 3 inches in total, never more than 2 inches at a time.
Back then there were less accidents than today as everyone knew how to cope with the conditions. Nowadays, if there's just a finger's broadth of snow on the street, there are mass crashes, train cancellations, schools stay closed and emergency warningsget broadcast. Frankly, to mee it seems that both the weather and the drivers are a bit nuts.
The weather is the weather you can't do much about it, as for the drivers sure some are a bit nuts, but as you point out if you don't drive in a particular adverse condition(s) that often you don't develop or develop it as well the skill set for those conditions.
My point was no matter if you're north or south, snow makes idiots out of us and it's a tad embarrassing when it's us snow birds doing the crashing. Sometimes it's just happenstance so I sad "tad" vs total embarrassment.
On a seperate note, speaking of 'stuff happens',
I was driving on I-80E in rush hour when a severe thunderstorm warning hit. I was slowing to a stop anyway because I saw a jam ahead. As I was slowing down, a microburst hit. I traveled a lot so I instantly hit my emergency flashers hoping to warn truckers behind me. I'm sitting there, back of the line. Scared because visibility was down to almost nothing. Sure enough, here comes a semi. I think "I'm a tin can." Which is kind of nervously laugh because I look like I'm driving an SUV that has a smashed up rear end (Aztec) anyway.
I had my hands on the wheel deciding "Move to emergency lane or stay put." I kept my eye on the driver as he crested the 'hill' of the interstate. As soon as I could make out the driver I would make the quick call. Sure enough as he starts down the hill barreling toward me I can see his truck angle indicating he was going to avoid striking me. So I stay put. And he skis on past me in the side lane at approx 20mph. PHEW. Trucker of the year award.
On a seperate note, speaking of 'stuff happens',
I was driving on I-80E in rush hour when a severe thunderstorm warning hit. I was slowing to a stop anyway because I saw a jam ahead. As I was slowing down, a microburst hit. I traveled a lot so I instantly hit my emergency flashers hoping to warn truckers behind me. I'm sitting there, back of the line. Scared because visibility was down to almost nothing. Sure enough, here comes a semi. I think "I'm a tin can." Which is kind of nervously laugh because I look like I'm driving an SUV that has a smashed up rear end (Aztec) anyway.
I had my hands on the wheel deciding "Move to emergency lane or stay put." I kept my eye on the driver as he crested the 'hill' of the interstate. As soon as I could make out the driver I would make the quick call. Sure enough as he starts down the hill barreling toward me I can see his truck angle indicating he was going to avoid striking me. So I stay put. And he skis on past me in the side lane at approx 20mph. PHEW. Trucker of the year award.
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When I was teaching my friend to drive, he tended to get frustrated at people doing 30mph in the 60 zone, but then when it dropped to a 30mph zone, they sped up to 40/45mph
Here in my state, it's illegal to go 10 MPH or lower unless otherwise posted. People have actually been pulled over for going under the speed limit.