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Actual advice for Southerners driving on snow. (Original Post) Are_grits_groceries Nov 2018 OP
Mmmmm, biscuits and gravy. oasis Nov 2018 #1
When I used to run Pennsylvania to Charlotte nc TEB Nov 2018 #2
I'd say, pretend your brakes are out... shanny Nov 2018 #3
I'd say, drive like god hates you and wants to mess you up. n/t sarge43 Nov 2018 #9
No brakes, no steering, and everyone else on the highway is drunk..... lastlib Nov 2018 #14
Not bad. shanny Nov 2018 #20
Brakes are your enemy in the snow Drahthaardogs Nov 2018 #36
I grew up in East Texas kag Nov 2018 #4
I have yet to see an Oklahoma resident who can drive on snow. redstatebluegirl Nov 2018 #5
Living in North Central Texas most of the winter precip was sleet or freezing drizzle. argyl Nov 2018 #6
Watch a couple of YouTube snow crash videos PJMcK Nov 2018 #7
My Saturday ruined at kozar Nov 2018 #8
Sorry, Koz! PJMcK Nov 2018 #10
I watch this and similar stuff most every day at lunch break Tarc Nov 2018 #24
Karma at 1:50 as the driver going much too fast for conditions goes off the road. . . . nt Bernardo de La Paz Nov 2018 #18
Icy hills unsafe at any speed central scrutinizer Nov 2018 #32
Like I said: PJMcK Nov 2018 #35
Yep, Pretend you don't have brakes Drifter Nov 2018 #11
Some of the plow drivers down South don't know how to drive/plow. watoos Nov 2018 #12
Thanks for the advice lol Sunsky Nov 2018 #13
lol, moved to NC from NJ and last yr with 1/2 in snow everything closed for 3 days Jersey Devil Nov 2018 #15
I'd rather have a foot of snow than a half inch of ice. In NW sinkingfeeling Nov 2018 #16
There is absolutely no trick to driving on ice other than slowing down. watoos Nov 2018 #19
got this advice from a trucker re black ice dembotoz Nov 2018 #34
And. having 4WD will not keep you out of the ditch anymore than 2WD will. GoCubsGo Nov 2018 #17
A friend of mine said that he would be fine - he had four wheel drive. Staph Nov 2018 #37
When I was stati0ned at Fort Benning, Georgia in the late 1960s Fortinbras Armstrong Nov 2018 #21
This is perfect LittleGirl Nov 2018 #22
I always play Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy in my head. raging moderate Nov 2018 #23
I was in Dallas a couple years ago after a big snowfall. Cracklin Charlie Nov 2018 #25
love it!! samnsara Nov 2018 #26
LOL hlthe2b Nov 2018 #27
Yeah I live on a hill- and a curve. MissB Nov 2018 #30
I might add Ohiogal Nov 2018 #28
stay home KG Nov 2018 #29
Driving in the snow. Goldenlight Nov 2018 #31
I have simpler advice... Wounded Bear Nov 2018 #33
There's always an intitial 3-hour period where everyone forgets how to drive in snow. blogslut Nov 2018 #38
Been driving in New England for 50 years... OAITW r.2.0 Nov 2018 #39
This also fits driving in heavy downpours nitpicker Nov 2018 #40

TEB

(12,842 posts)
2. When I used to run Pennsylvania to Charlotte nc
Sat Nov 10, 2018, 07:03 AM
Nov 2018

I remember joking as we stayed in hotels to rest after night linehaul. Snow ice I heard a guy say that we only have one snow plow in this state I thought how true everything just stops.

 

shanny

(6,709 posts)
20. Not bad.
Sat Nov 10, 2018, 09:06 AM
Nov 2018

I usually add that you should do only one thing at a time: slow WAY down and then turn.


The first snowfall of the season is always the worst because the accumulated oil/grease on the roads makes them slick as snot. After that it gets easier. I imagine that effect is only magnified in similarly dry climates with very rare snowfalls.

Drahthaardogs

(6,843 posts)
36. Brakes are your enemy in the snow
Sat Nov 10, 2018, 11:47 AM
Nov 2018

Nothing will make you lose control faster than hard braking. That's why you drive slow, less braking

kag

(4,079 posts)
4. I grew up in East Texas
Sat Nov 10, 2018, 07:20 AM
Nov 2018

Well...Northeast Texas. About once every three years we'd get one storm with an inch or two of snow. Schools and businesses closed. The whole town would shut down.

Now I live in the foothills above Boulder, Colorado. The school bus route goes right in front of our house, so even our little dirt road gets plowed early. For the schools to close, the snow plows have to not be able to get through, and that's a LOT of snow.

I have impressed the hell out of my relatives from Texas, driving through a snowstorm like it's just another trip to the store. (Of course, studded tires and 4wd help. ) I guess it's just what you're used to.

redstatebluegirl

(12,265 posts)
5. I have yet to see an Oklahoma resident who can drive on snow.
Sat Nov 10, 2018, 07:27 AM
Nov 2018

We were both raised in snow country so it is nothing to us, but the advice above certainly fits native Oklahomans . Love it!

argyl

(3,064 posts)
6. Living in North Central Texas most of the winter precip was sleet or freezing drizzle.
Sat Nov 10, 2018, 07:40 AM
Nov 2018

Worked night shift for years. And the safest way to drive on icy roads is to have them pretty much to yourself.

PJMcK

(22,037 posts)
7. Watch a couple of YouTube snow crash videos
Sat Nov 10, 2018, 07:41 AM
Nov 2018

They'll scare the hell out of you and you'll drive defensively ever after.

Here's one:



There really are some times when you shouldn't drive.

kozar

(2,111 posts)
8. My Saturday ruined at
Sat Nov 10, 2018, 08:04 AM
Nov 2018

7AM!! I will be spending the rest of my day applying ice packs to my neck after 16 minutes of shaking my head in disbelief. Not to mention all the honey and tea I need to drink after 16 mins of repeating, WTF????????????


Hoarsely,
Koz out

PJMcK

(22,037 posts)
10. Sorry, Koz!
Sat Nov 10, 2018, 08:09 AM
Nov 2018

My son turned me onto this genre and what strikes me in most of the clips is how suddenly these accidents happen. The carelessness is also remarkable.

Drive safely and I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Tarc

(10,476 posts)
24. I watch this and similar stuff most every day at lunch break
Sat Nov 10, 2018, 09:46 AM
Nov 2018

"Instant Karma", "Road Rage", "How Not to Drive Your Car in Russia", etc...

Weirdly addicting.

 

watoos

(7,142 posts)
12. Some of the plow drivers down South don't know how to drive/plow.
Sat Nov 10, 2018, 08:18 AM
Nov 2018

I was driving from Houston to Muskogee after a terrible snow storm. The plows had 3 foot high snow banks in the middle of the 2 lanes. It was a 2 lane highway each direction with a cement medial strip in between. We counted over 100 wrecks with one small pickup resting atop the medial strip.

The advice given is quite accurate, Slow the Hell down.

Sunsky

(1,737 posts)
13. Thanks for the advice lol
Sat Nov 10, 2018, 08:21 AM
Nov 2018

I have never driven in snow, and the thought of doing so scares the heck out of me. I have postponed trips due to this

Jersey Devil

(9,874 posts)
15. lol, moved to NC from NJ and last yr with 1/2 in snow everything closed for 3 days
Sat Nov 10, 2018, 08:40 AM
Nov 2018

Nobody has a clue how to drive in snow and all you see is cars upside down in the drainage ditches along the sides of the roads. It's like demolition derby time when it snows, so I lock the car in the garage and don't drive until every last bit of snow is gone.

 

watoos

(7,142 posts)
19. There is absolutely no trick to driving on ice other than slowing down.
Sat Nov 10, 2018, 09:05 AM
Nov 2018

The advice of no steering and no braking is pretty accurate. If you absolutely have to brake you must gently pump the brakes. On ice going downhill, no brakes, downshift to the lowest gear.

Black ice is the absolute worst because you don't know it's there. I once drove on black ice on the interstate with my flashers on, half on and half off the highway as cars flew by me. I passed some of those cars later on as they landed off road.

dembotoz

(16,804 posts)
34. got this advice from a trucker re black ice
Sat Nov 10, 2018, 11:29 AM
Nov 2018

turn off the radio and fan and listen..
slush makes tire nice like wet pavement
ice makes no sound...if it is all quiet expect that you are on ice

GoCubsGo

(32,083 posts)
17. And. having 4WD will not keep you out of the ditch anymore than 2WD will.
Sat Nov 10, 2018, 08:44 AM
Nov 2018

If you are going too fast on an icy road, those four wheels will lose traction. regardless of what you have.

My advice as a Midwesterner who lives in the South: Just stay off the roads if at all possible, even if you know how to handle those conditions. Most other people on the road don't. They are what you need to worry about.

Staph

(6,251 posts)
37. A friend of mine said that he would be fine - he had four wheel drive.
Sat Nov 10, 2018, 12:18 PM
Nov 2018

But I reminded him that it doesn't mean four wheel stop!


Fortinbras Armstrong

(4,473 posts)
21. When I was stati0ned at Fort Benning, Georgia in the late 1960s
Sat Nov 10, 2018, 09:18 AM
Nov 2018

They got about an inch of snow which brought civilian traffic to a complete standstill. It wasn't helped by there being essentially no snow removal equipment.

We northern boys said, "This is what we call 'good winter driving conditions'."

LittleGirl

(8,287 posts)
22. This is perfect
Sat Nov 10, 2018, 09:19 AM
Nov 2018

I grew up in northern Indiana where the Lake (Michigan) effect would dump a foot of snow overnight. I can drive like a champ in snow. But my spouse grew up in London and I won't let him drive in the snow ever!

Cracklin Charlie

(12,904 posts)
25. I was in Dallas a couple years ago after a big snowfall.
Sat Nov 10, 2018, 09:47 AM
Nov 2018

I couldn’t believe how many cars were driving around with 7-10 inches of snow on them. Like snow bubbles!

People...sweep that snow off the car before driving!

hlthe2b

(102,270 posts)
27. LOL
Sat Nov 10, 2018, 09:50 AM
Nov 2018

Of course that only means they will ride the brake and slide off the road going downhill... or go so damned slowly uphill that they fail to make it up, sliding back into the frustrated line of cars behind them.

Yup. I've seen it all.

MissB

(15,807 posts)
30. Yeah I live on a hill- and a curve.
Sat Nov 10, 2018, 10:28 AM
Nov 2018

If I’m in town during a snowstorm, I grab a cup of tea and sit at my dining room table, which has the best view of the curve as it has windows along two sides of the room. A few years ago, we had a record 6 cars stuck on our little section of curve. Half were trying to come up the road. One car sat there for four days (we’d driven them home the night of the snowstorm after warming them up with hot cocoa- their house was about an hour across town and back.)

Lots of cars bumpered around the corner - the inside edge doesn’t have a ditch as our property is above the road. At some point the county closed all the other roads leading down to the highway except our little road. Made for a steady stream of cars trying very hard to get home.

Goldenlight

(8 posts)
31. Driving in the snow.
Sat Nov 10, 2018, 11:06 AM
Nov 2018

I am a born and raised westerner that has lived in the western mountains for some time. If you are in an actual slide 4 wheel drive will not save you, however your winter tires will help. Do not slam on your brakes, pump them. Lastly, steer into the direction you want to go. If you try to over correct you will most likely spin out. If you get stuck use kitty litter/ dirt . I keep kitty litter in my car in the winter and has saved me on 2 occasions .

blogslut

(38,000 posts)
38. There's always an intitial 3-hour period where everyone forgets how to drive in snow.
Sat Nov 10, 2018, 12:30 PM
Nov 2018

People go a bit insane when the weather changes. The roads are dangerous. The stores fill up. Some idiot who thought they could breeze through it all, is predictably there, stuck by the side of the road.

My personal snow-driving rule is to wait as long as possible to get in a car and to never ever exceed 20MPH.

OAITW r.2.0

(24,469 posts)
39. Been driving in New England for 50 years...
Sat Nov 10, 2018, 12:34 PM
Nov 2018

I haven't bothered using my studded snow tires for the last few yesrs, sticking with my all weathers. I think, after watching this, I'll have my snow tires mounted.

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