My work is on a hill, not a particularly steep hill for Pittsburgh. On Monday, I saw three cars in a row, all stuck on the hill and trying to get out. I know the two last in line could see the stuck car in front of them before they tried to go up the hill.
Yesterday, I saw an SUV with a huge “snow-pompadour” on top of its roof, where they hadn’t cleared the snow off. The snow on the roof was at least a foot deep.
Anybody else seen any particularly idiotic or funny snow-driving moves?
This latest snowfall most people seemed OK, but it was warm enough that it wasn’t sticking to the roads, and it was light & fluffy so even the people who didn’t clear off their cars weren’t bad, since it flew off before they could get far enough to inflict it on people.
Last time, however, I saw no less than three cars in one morning who cleared off exactly one square of their cars, on the driver’s side windshield. Not the back windshields, or the sides, just one tiny square.
Apparently, you don’t need to see to either side or the back when you’re driving.
I watched one particularly sharp individual driving with the entire roof, back window, and trunk completely covered in snow. They tried to back up on a snowy, slushy slope. So not only did they neglect to clear the snow off their vehicle and back window, they tried going *in reverse *into an intersection. Where’s Darwin when you need him?? Instead, they eventually drove off, most likely with their reproductive abilities intact. :rolleyes:
I see this all the time: people clearing a tiny area of their windshield, then driving along as if they’re the only car on the road. And the people who are driving during a “white-out” with no lights on. I wonder how many accidents these people cause, that they’re not even aware of. And where are the cops (and Darwin) when you need them?
My favorite is people who, when trying to slow down or stop on slippery pavement, will furiously stomp again and again and again on the brake pedal, maybe 2 or 3 times a second, apparently having heard you’re supposed to “pump the brakes”. Instead of backing off whenever they start to feel the wheels slip, they are doing everything they can to force a skid, albiet not for long.
Odd question: I was under the impression that it was a good idea to, well, not stomp, but tap the brakes several times and brake gently thereafter, particularly if you were uncertain how slick it was. Is this wrong, or am I just right and stomping is the bad thing?
Remember, it doesn’t matter how well you think you drive in poor weather. It’s how badly they drive that can make even the shortest drive a problem. And there’s a big chance we aren’t nearly as safe a driver as we think we are.
I’ve never understood how people can drive with all the snow on their cars. It’s not like it’s that hard to get the majority of it off. The other day I took my car about 100 feet so I could get the 2 feet of snow off of it, even with half the windshield uncovered t was hard as hell to drive. I hate driving around here in the snow (and rain, and wind, and well just about all the time.)
Here’s a public service announcement: Four-wheel drive != four-wheel stop. Your fancy off-road underpinnings won’t do a thing on sheer ice. You still have to use the old wetware and drive appropriately for conditions.
If I had a nickel for every monster-truck SUV I’ve seen in a field with its wheels in the air . . . well, I’d have about thirty cents. But I still shake my head every time I see it.
Around here, people are pretty snow and ice-aware. You still see some idjits around, though.
For example, someone with a rear-wheel drive Mustang parallel-parking on a hill. They were *that close[/i[ to starting a chain reaction that would have sent parked cars tumbling down the street Newton’s Cradle-style.
Heard on the weather channel this eve from a MD public agency spokesperson: “We’re having blizzardlike conditions.” DUH. When does it become an actual blizzard?
Don’t a great percentage of cars, if not the majority, have antilock brakes nowadays? When I used to live in Denver (which I don’t anymore, thank FSM, I live in southern Arizona now) I heard it was advisable to press steadily on the brake and let the brake system take care of the braking itself, while attempting to steer around any obstacles you’re likely to hit. Of course, that goes out the window if you’re driving a car not equipped with antilock brakes.
When wind speed and visibility meet the required meteorological conditions: sustained winds and/or frequent gusts over 35 MPH with ¼ mile visibility for at least three hours.
It’s true, with antilock brakes this becomes somewhat moot.
If you want to know how slippery the roads are, and you are in a safe place to do so, jabbing them tentatively will give you a sense of how hard it is to start a skid.
The point is that there is advice out there saying to pump your brakes if things are slippery, and it should be more detailed. The advice should say that you get the most stopping power when your wheels are not skidding but are close to it, and also that you get steering ability only if your front wheels are not skidding, and so you should learn how to feel when they start to skid, and when that happens you should back off the brakes to let them catch again. By “pumping the brakes” we really mean constantly seeking that maximum braking force and backing off as soon as we exceed it. This does entail the brake pedal going up and down somewhat, but in response to the behavior of the wheels as detected by the driver through the feelings of motion, and not just as an abstract motion itself. It’s like the way you keep turning the steering wheel a little one way or the other as you drive, in response to where you see you are in your lane. Having your eyes closed and imitating that motion does not work.
At least this is how I understand it. Perhaps I am found out and actually am an idiot driver in the snow…
I think you are right on. Been driving in snow for 20 yrs (wow) and when I didn’t have anti-lock brakes, this was exactly it. Hell, I wish I didn’t have anti-lock brakes, I prefer the semblance of control I get doing it by myself. My cite = no winter accidents. (so far, furiously knocking on wood)
Well, then, thank you. I haven’t had any winter accidents, either, after 36 years of driving in snow. It’s hard to do worse than a used Oldsmobile Cutlass with a big heavy engine in the front, rear wheel drive, and an automatic transmission, and the worst winter mishap I ever had was making that stupid turd of a car slide a bit and have to abort on a turn while headed downhill. Well, that, and I had to leave a 4WD diesel tractor with several hundred pounds of weights and a dozer blade sitting out last night after I got it stuck so bad jacks and boards couldn’t fix it. And that has farm lug tires and a differential lock. The snow here…