Drivers Ed for the last 20 years or so is not what most of us went through. It's sad what they don't teach people these days.

Growing up in NH as a kid I did what others here did when it snowed.... went to the mall parking lot and did donuts and learned to control the car. Best drivers Ed I ever received.

Heck, out here we don't need snow / ice do see that people don't know how to drive.

That guy's driving 'strategy' is just see how long it takes to scrub the bottom off of the tires. We have them do that on the freeway as well.

Next I want to see if they can parallel park with a trailer...

One of my favorite winter pasttimes is counting the cars that slide off the road. In Buffalo. Where people should know how to drive in the snow. Steer into the skid but it's best to stay out of the skid in the first place and removing feet from all pedals will usually straighten things out right quick. Of course, doing 70 in the snow isn't usually a good idea in the first place.

We sat in an accident in KC last night for 3 hours due to multiple accidents on an elevated road. Ice was bad, but people were still going waaaay too fast.

I’ve spent all my life in Vermont. Still get the “pucker factor” on occasion. In my opinion, the three most important things to safely drive on slippery roads are excellent condition winter tires (studded), common sense, and experience.
Of course you could add don’t go out unless you have too.
My son lost control of his car on his way home. His first winter driving. Ended in a deep ditch. He called home for help. When I got there, I told him, “I wasn’t going to say anything, but looking at the tracks, you might have been going a little fast”. His response was “ I was driving the speed limit “! One of life’s experiences.

quote:

Originally posted by MNSIG:

quote:

Originally posted by Rey HRH:
Even if I didn't know at the moment what to do, I would have been moving my wheels left and right until something kicked in.

It's not likely that anything is going to "kick in" for directional control until the driver gets off the brakes. You must do the counter intuitive thing and let the tires roll even though your brain is screaming STOP.

Had similar happen in the rain in my old Saturn [no ABS]
Car cut me off & had to brake hard, resulting in 4 wheel lockup, while going downhill.
My dad raced a lot in the 80s, his comment: It takes a lot of discipline to take your foot off the brakes to slow down.
Had it happen again at some layer time & recalled that comment, and was able to modulate the brakes & stop the slide.

Oh, we know how to drive on ice here in Texas and were damn good at it. You just drive like it's a dry, sunny day, don't slow down. Stay real close to other cars and stomp on the brakes if you start to slide. And of course, wildly turn the steering wheel back and forth.
That's how it's done here.

I bailed out of work around noon on Wednesday when it started coming down hard.
My rigs still haven't moved.
They do this every single time here like it's never happened before.

I can drive in it just fine but no one else seems to so I just stay off the roads unless I absolutely need to go out.
And if they are all spun out you have to take sidewalks and go through peoples front yards to get around them.
Nobody times the lights to keep moving, roll up as normal and slide through or stop and can't get going again, drives me batshit.
Last time I drove in to work when it was like that I was amazed that I made it dent free as I had some close calls with people driving like assholes, one a near head on but I went up on a lawn and he hit a house.
Screw that, no one will die at work if I take a day or two off, I'm not getting my rig smashed up.

quote:

Originally posted by powermad:
I bailed out of work around noon on Wednesday when it started coming down hard.

*snip*

Screw that, no one will die at work if I take a day or two off, I'm not getting my rig smashed up.

Same and same. I got stuck for four hours on the road years back. As soon as it started sticking, I couldn't get out of work fast enough this time.

I told my boss who moved here from Colorado that the actual weather wasn't the acute problem here as he seemed skeptical about letting people go when there was just a smidgen of snow on the ground.

quote:

Originally posted by MNSIG:

It's not likely that anything is going to "kick in" for directional control until the driver gets off the brakes. You must do the counter intuitive thing and let the tires roll even though your brain is screaming STOP.

The correct response so far. Locking up the tires and giving away all control as opposed to weak to mild acceleration to at least steer the vehicle. You'd be surprised at the traction response acceleration can get you on ice or hard pack.

Best response? If you don't know how to drive or have sufficient traction devices, stay off the road in these conditions.

Winter driving (snow and ice) is a potential hazard 6 months of the year here in NW Montana. With the huge influx of CA, OR and WA drivers here since Covid drove them here, our roads are littered with dipshit clueless drivers wondering why their car/truck slid off the road.

This year has been tough, I run studded Nokian Nordmans on my Ram 1500 with 500# of sand in the bed, and non-studded Nokian Hakkas on the BMW X3...and there are still days neither is really suitable for ice.

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:
Not lost the skill. Never had it. Spent many days practicing on the frozen lake.

Drivers Ed offered by the local HS included extensive stints on a frozen lake. RWD was all that existed back in the 60s too.

It seems like more and more people around here can’t drive on a dry road let alone a snow or ice covered one.

I always thought the key to driving on ice was “don’t”

But, I also have never lived in a place where people have studded tires, etc.

I do remember being slightly terrified at how fast Russian taxi drivers drove on roads which were difficult to walk on.

(OK, more than slightly terrified. Russia/Belarus circa 2001 was an interesting place)

quote:

Originally posted by smlsig:
Drivers Ed for the last 20 years or so is not what most of us went through. It's sad what they don't teach people these days.

My Drivers' Ed (in 1959) was in a 1957 DeSoto, with 3 on the tree.

quote:

Originally posted by bald1:

RWD was all that existed back in the 60s too.

There were quite a few Citroëns and SAABs.

I learned winter driving while residing in Wisconsin with a 1979 Plymouth Volare.

I remember how that thing would start fishtailing on a snow packed road after just delicately letting off the gas to start the 1/4 mile process of slowing down.

It was good to learn the physics of winter driving early on with rear wheel drive.

Even with the advances of front and all wheel drive I still remember the lessons learned with those old top heavy RWD's.

.

Non weather related Drivers Ed war story:
It was required in Ohio that you successfully complete a Drivers Ed course in order to be licensed. The High Schools put on the course. I was a pretty good driver when I signed up for the course, thanks to my old man's brutal preliminary indoctrination. So I find myself in the Driver Ed training car with:
A very meek chick.
A deaf chick.
The deaf chicks sign language interpreter. Also a chick.
The Instructor, who is our HS football coach. His instructional style is similar to my old mans.
Many Drivers Ed cars have dual controls. Ours did not. And Coach refused to vacate the front passenger seat. That will be a factor soon!
First Day course of instruction: Actually starting the car and other preliminary tasks.
I can start the car. Interpreter can start the car. Meek can too. Deaf chick cant hear when the engine takes over from the starter. Engine spins up the starter until Coach intervenes. Deaf chick is confused and then engages starter while the engine is running, causing it to self destruct. Scratch one Driver Ed car and end of lesson.
Next Lesson: Actually drive the car in traffic.
I do fine, despite Coach doubting my manhood since I dont play football. Meek chick is tentative, but ok. The interpreter is ok, too. Deaf chick straps in, gets us going. She does a lot of weaving and over correcting. Coach tries to intervene. In order to make sense of anything she is being told, she must face who she is trying to communicate with. She is fully facing the coach, looking at him while steering the car into opposing traffic. Meek begins to scream. Coach begins to curse like my old man. Interpreter thrusts her hands over the front seat between the Coach and deaf chick and begins to frantically sign what I would guess is "holy shit, we are about to die"! I give myself up for dead. Coach finally regains control, and we get stopped. I won't bore you further, but its rinse and repeat for the entire course. Terrifying to say the least. If the course had a snow / ice component, people would still be searching snowbanks for our frozen remains. Several years later, I see the interpreter in Krogers. She informed me the deaf chick actually got her drivers license!

quote:

Originally posted by henryaz:

quote:

Originally posted by smlsig:
Drivers Ed for the last 20 years or so is not what most of us went through. It's sad what they don't teach people these days.

My Drivers' Ed (in 1959) was in a 1957 DeSoto, with 3 on the tree.

Mine was a dad with little patience and a 1953 Ford Fairlane with 3 on the tree. When we came in from a lesson my mom would say "I don't know who to feel the sorriest for". This was around 1960 in Detroit, Michigan.

flashguy

This message has been edited. Last edited by: flashguy,

Lots of rigs with smashed up fronts and rears today.
Body shops are gonna be busy for a bit.

One buddy from work left at 5pm on Wednesday, he wound up abandoning his car on 82nd ave and hoofed it home. He made it home at 0230.
He's gonna be in a shit ass mood tomorrow.

Looks like the junkies had a buffet of cars for them to plunder too according to the news.
Lots of busted out windows, whatever they left behind was stolen.