PSA, If you cannot drive in the snow and don't have to go out.............

[npmommie]

then please stay home!!!!!!!
that is all

 

[bicker]

I suspect that the major portion of the problem are folks who do have to go out but don't have (cannot afford) the proper equipment for driving in the snow.

 

[kaytieeldr]

It would help to know where the OP lives, right, bicker?

We're up here in New England, and for the most part, even we know not to drive in snow in areas where it's not common!

 

[GeorgeG]

I plan on staying in today.

Hey... the way things are going with this weather it very well could snow here.

 

[npmommie]

I suspect that the major portion of the problem are folks who do have to go out but don't have (cannot afford) the proper equipment for driving in the snow.

thats why I said if you can stay home , stay home! LOL

It would help to know where the OP lives, right, bicker?

We're up here in New England, and for the most part, even we know not to drive in snow in areas where it's not common!

I am right here in New England with you
not much can keep me in, I am used to snowy drives having worked in a job where snow was not a reason to stay home ( hospitals never close LOL)

but there are some that should just stay off the roads if they can, you know what I mean, we have all seen it.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Oh, you mean like the SUV-driving idiot on the Tobin Bridge about 8 one night, before the bridge had been cleared, going 50 or 60 - it's an SUV, after all - and spun out on a fortunately almost-empty bridge?

 

[npmommie]

Oh, you mean like the SUV-driving idiot on the Tobin Bridge about 8 one night, before the bridge had been cleared, going 50 or 60 - it's an SUV, after all - and spun out on a fortunately almost-empty bridge?

Yes!!! thats it

 

[bicker]

I wasn't clear before... I think a lot of the problems happen because there are people who do have to go out, but cannot afford 4WDs and such. I cannot tell you how much of a difference 4WD makes for me. I feel so much safer and so much more able to deal with unexpected things that other drivers do in the snow. Sure stupid people can do stupid things, even with a 4WD, but smart people drive better in the snow if they have 4WD than if those smart people don't have 4WD.

 

[GeorgeG]

I drove up to NY the week before Christmas and from Richmond, VA the rest of the way was in that snowstorm. A lot of the vehicles spinning out, and there were a lot of them, were 4WD driven by drivers who thought they had an advantage and could go faster than the others. 4WD doesn't mean squat if none of those wheels are getting traction. A lot has to do with how they are being driven. All things being equal, it's the nut behind the wheel that makes the most difference.

 

[Squirlz]

I drove up to NY the week before Christmas and from Richmond, VA the rest of the way was in that snowstorm. A lot of the vehicles spinning out, and there were a lot of them, were 4WD driven by drivers who thought they had an advantage and could go faster than the others. 4WD doesn't mean squat if none of those wheels are getting traction. A lot has to do with how they are being driven. All things being equal, it's the nut behind the wheel that makes the most difference.

Yup. The only thing 4WD does is get you going better in some situations. You don't stop or steer any better. I run dedicated snow tires with front wheel drive and traction and stability control. The only thing that stops me is deep snow, due to ground clearance issues.

 

[bicker]

Were they 4WD or just SUVs? Not all SUVs are 4WD. 4WD definitely can help you steer better.

 

[Deb in IA]

4WD or AWD definitely helps, BUT you still cannot go around driving like an idiot in bad weather.

Equally important are your TIRES. Last winter, I was having all kinds of problems with my Highlander AWD, and I KNOW how to drive in the snow - I live in Iowa! Turns out, my tires were just about bald. A new set of Goodyears and everything is great now.

Rules for driving in snow:
Slow down, ESPECIALLY for turns and curves.
Allow a safe following distance. Of course, when the speeding jerk cuts in right in front of me, and causes me to brake suddenly, I get really mad!!
Slow down.
Use low beams.
Slow down.
Oh, did I mention, Slow Down?

 

[luvmy3]

I wasn't clear before... I think a lot of the problems happen because there are people who do have to go out, but cannot afford 4WDs and such. I cannot tell you how much of a difference 4WD makes for me. I feel so much safer and so much more able to deal with unexpected things that other drivers do in the snow. Sure stupid people can do stupid things, even with a 4WD, but smart people drive better in the snow if they have 4WD than if those smart people don't have 4WD.

No matter what kind of car you have the key is to know how to handle it in the snow. If you aren't familiar with how your vehicle drives, take it to a large empty parking lot that hasn't been plowed and spin yourself out, learn how to get out of it, learn how to brake etc. That was the best thing dh could have done for me, but I'm still chicken to drive in the snow. I got into a horrible accident when I was young and if I can avoid even an inch of snow I do, however if I do have to go out, I know how my car handles and what to do.

 

[Squirlz]

Were they 4WD or just SUVs? Not all SUVs are 4WD. 4WD definitely can help you steer better.

A lot of people think this. Then they wind up in the ditch!

 

[sbell111]

Were they 4WD or just SUVs? Not all SUVs are 4WD. 4WD definitely can help you steer better.

Also, all 4wd systems are not equal.

 

[sbell111]

Several of you are arguing with people who's positions are the same as yours.

 

[sbell111]

Were they 4WD or just SUVs? Not all SUVs are 4WD. 4WD definitely can help you steer better.

A lot of people think this. Then they wind up in the ditch!

Pssst....

Regardless of whether some goofs end up in ditches, 4wd definitely can help you steer better.

 

[DizBelle]

That's great and all but how does one get experience driving in snow if one doesn't go out and drive in it?

 

[bicker]

A lot of people think this.

And for the aforementioned "smart" people, it is actually true.

Also, all 4wd systems are not equal.

Very true. Of those I've tried, in the snow, Subaru (Outback, specifically) is the best, but the BMW 4WD system isn't bad. I can't say as many good things about some of the American brands.

 

[bicker]

Reagrdless of whether some goofs end up in ditches, 4wd definitely can help you steer better.

Yes, and it really comes back to the simple calculus of "smart" versus "dumb". A smart person looks at 1000 watt stereo system as a way of having richer sound at all volumes, while a dumb person looks at a 1000 watt stereo system as a way of blowing their neighbors' window out.

"... knowwhatImean?"