Driving in the snow

[WRJames]

Being able to go in the snow does not equal being able to stop in the snow. A couple people went past me this morning and when people do stupid things like that all I can think is, please don't let them hit me if they start sliding.

Well -- very true. And all the adds for AWD vehicles showing them zooming along in the snow give people a false sense of confidence (not that I would ever do anything risky!). You see a lot of SUV's in the ditch.

Most of the time I'm very cautious in bad conditions.

 

[Greenspace]

Snow driving scares me. My car slides.

 

[MagicaPractica]

Well -- very true. And all the adds for AWD vehicles showing them zooming along in the snow give people a false sense of confidence (not that I would ever do anything risky!). You see a lot of SUV's in the ditch.

Most of the time I'm very cautious in bad conditions.

When I got a four wheel drive truck, it was a bit of wisdom imparted to me by my brother. I took it to heart but I still remember one morning when I was driving along a back road. It had been snowing heavily. I touched the brakes and slid right over to the downed power line and a little off the road. Couldn't get out of the truck because I didn't know how close I was to the downed line. Had to wait for someone to show up and tell me I was reasonably clear of it. (I was working for a power company at the time. Ah, the irony.)

 

[TheeGoatPig]

Also, I think I should have noted, this is the first time I have slid off the road in nine or ten years. It's not like I make asshole mistakes like this all of the time. It was an isolated bit of stupidity.

but due to the fact that I didn't hit anybody or anything, it truly was fun to slide around and then regain control without actually stopping

 

[SeaCat]

Also, I think I should have noted, this is the first time I have slid off the road in nine or ten years. It's not like I make asshole mistakes like this all of the time. It was an isolated bit of stupidity.

but due to the fact that I didn't hit anybody or anything, it truly was fun to slide around and then regain control without actually stopping

It is fun when that happens isn't it? A bit of a brown shorts moment while it's happening but after,,,,,

Cat

 

[fifty5]

Fun and sense aren't mtually exclusive...

A car-driving student in Scotland either learns or dies...

Later I had an MGB - the greatest I've ever driven for right foot steering. We lived on a 1 in 10 hill. I could drive slowly down, then twitch the wheel to the right, blip the throttle ... and be driving slowly up the hill in the other lane.

More recently, I did what should be set-up for another Lit story. A close friend rides horses and the stables are down a tiny dead end lane. Suffice it to say that I turned 4 different vehicles round so they could get out again (all ladies - hence the story op.). The BMW automatic was the biggest learning experience.

For beginners, the most useful tip is to keep your foot way away from the gas pedal. Especially, but not only, modern vehicles with electronic engine management are very clever at not stalling if you give them half a chance. Just be VERY gentle with the clutch (which is why an automatic is 'interesting' because the throttle is essential and controls the clutch) and you can climb anything that doesn't actually stop the engine. When I went in for competitive driving, it was common knowledge how many folk got out of the slippery stuff when their foot accidentally slipped off the accelerator pedal - suddenly the tyres stopped spinning and they crawled away in full control.

Snow (or mud) can be both fun and safe.

And then there's fog, of course...

 

[TheeGoatPig]

It is fun when that happens isn't it? A bit of a brown shorts moment while it's happening but after,,,,,

Cat

Not anymore. I haven't panicked when snow driving in years. I just grew used to it. I start sliding and I just react. I don't even worry about it after at all. It happens, I take care of the incident, and it is over.

I guess I'm just weird like that

 

[fifty5]

Not anymore. I haven't panicked when snow driving in years. I just grew used to it. I start sliding and I just react. I don't even worry about it after at all. It happens, I take care of the incident, and it is over.

I guess I'm just weird like that

'Tain't weird at all. If you're lucky and have fast reactions, that becomes experience.

 

[trysail]

New York Drivers Are Most ‘Unfit’ in U.S., Study Says
By Sapna Maheshwari

May 27 (Bloomberg) -- New York drivers are the least knowledgeable in the nation for a second straight year on rules of the road and neighboring New Jersey motorists are almost as bad, according to a study by an insurance company.

The national average for the test was 76.2 percent, with below 70 considered failing, according to a statement today from GMAC Insurance, the carrier that American Capital Acquisition Corp. bought from GMAC Inc. New York drivers scored an average of 70 percent, and New Jersey motorists averaged 70.5 percent. Kansas drivers ranked first, with an average score of 82.3 percent.

Applying the test results nationally, almost 20 percent of licensed drivers, or about 38 million motorists, “may be unfit for roads” and wouldn’t pass a state-issued written exam if taken today, the study said. The national test average fell from 76.6 percent in 2009, and 78.1 percent in 2008.

“What we have seen pretty typically is obviously New York and New Jersey do poorly, and those areas that have really large urban population centers,” Wade Bontrager, senior vice president of marketing at Winston-Salem, North Carolina-based GMAC Insurance, said in an interview. “You have people that drive in an area that’s much more congested, much more fast- paced, and the rules of the road aren’t quite as top of the mind as somebody driving at a little slower pace.”

The test of 20 questions from state Department of Motor Vehicle exams was taken by 5,202 licensed drivers from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Washington, D.C., motorists were third from the bottom, with an average score of 71.9 percent...


http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601110&sid=aYspc63RiS48