Traffic on Snow Days

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I think its safe to say that everyone believes they are an excellent driver and just about everyone else on the roads should drive more like them

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That sounds like fishermen

I’m as annoyed as anyone by white knuckle drivers, but I also realize that they are probably just as annoyed by my driving habits as I am by theirs. I usually drive as though I’m the only one paying for the roads. I’m usually that idiot 3 feet off you’re back bumper on 94, my face bright red because you’re only going 72mph in the fast lane & I’ve got fish to catch. But I pray that when my kids begin driving, they will join the ranks of the white knuckle drivers I tend to get so worked up about. I pray that they will drive at a speed that they are comfortable with in these conditions. My mother didn’t start driving until she was 42. She’s still a white knuckle driver. She does not have the confidence, experience or knowledge to handle a vehicle like most of us do under these conditions. As irritating as it is, I am glad that these white knucklers are doing the responsible thing and driving at their comfort level – not trying to keep up with my demands of how a person should drive.

Easy Solution- Know what your vehicle is capable of. There is nothing wrong with going the posted speed limit if your vehicle is capable of doing so. Next, don’t endanger anyone else. That goes for both those going fast, and the “Ethels”. We follow these two guidelines and noone gets hurt.
PS I was going a comfy 60 mph on the freeway for 35 miles today, and had no issues at all. Gotta love a Grand Caravan!!!

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Easy Solution- Know what your vehicle is capable of. There is nothing wrong with going the posted speed limit if your vehicle is capable of doing so. Next, don’t endanger anyone else. That goes for both those going fast, and the “Ethels”. We follow these two guidelines and noone gets hurt.

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Well Said!

No problem. A bit slippery but nothing bad happens to me. Thanks for this the other day BK.

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Seen a mid aged woman this morning driving maybe 5 mph. with her flashers on in the right slower lane, she looked scared to death and sure looked like shes never driven in snow. She was coming up on a heavily used one car after another on ramp coming from the down town area and all I could think is she shouldn’t be on the interstate and has obviously never drivin on snow. She was a mid aged black gal and looked white, how come she was even on the interstate. My thoughts were I sure hope they see her and she makes it through. Completely dangerous coming up on that next onramp, bet she doesn’t do it again.

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I-494 E.B. near 169 this am, I was finally able to pass a Toyota 4-runner at 7am driving with no lights with light snow in the center lane doing only 30mph. Glanced to see a brunette in her approx late 40’s/early 50’s with a WHITE KNUCKLE Grip on the steering wheel, while everyone else was going on pass her approx 40-45mph.

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Granted she should have had her lights on, however maybe she already had a close call earlier in the morning. I know I always slow down after a close call.

The Twin Cities has a large immigrant population, many who have very little driving experience in their home country, much less on a snow covered highway. I was just talking with one this morning and encouraged her to go to some wide-open, snow covered parking lot to get a sense of how a car brakes, turns, accelerates when traction is greatly reduced by ice and snow. Turning into a slide is a learned behavior and does not come naturally to one who is starting to panic.

Boone

I’ve seen and pulled out a lot of guys mainly, who believed they were doing a comfy speed. I do agree to a point that there is a flow of traffic scenario to follow. What is a safe rate of speed though? That’s a grey area left up to each driver. If you allow yourself enough time to get where you are going, not a problem. If you leave at the same time and expect no delays because of road conditions, some looking in the mirror could solve some of the frustration with other people’s actions not living up to your expectations. Other wise grip the steering wheel as tight as you can, get all worked up over someone who doesn’t even know or care that you’re about to have a brain aneurysm.

It’s awesome how people want others to be kind and forgiving about their own short comings. To bad that’s not as reciprocal as one would think.

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The Twin Cities has a large immigrant population, many who have very little driving experience in their home country, much less on a snow covered highway. I was just talking with one this morning and encouraged her to go to some wide-open, snow covered parking lot to get a sense of how a car brakes, turns, accelerates when traction is greatly reduced by ice and snow. Turning into a slide is a learned behavior and does not come naturally to one who is starting to panic.

Boone

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That is the problem with THOSE Norwegians.

Honestly though that is more or less how I learned what my ’72 Duster would do in snow when I learned to drive. I got pretty good at drifting before drifting was even cool.

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The Twin Cities has a large immigrant population

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nuff said.

I got tired of getting stressed over traffic conditions on snow days and started leaving home way early and just relax on the way in to work. Tail gating or stressing out the timid driver in front of you will only make them more nervous, hence, more chance of a problem. If I get to work early, I pop in a C.D. , lean back and chill. I drive 25 miles 2 lane the whole way.

We can rant and swear flip fingers all we want, however, I have found that I become much more dangerous of a driver when I am more worried about how another person is driving vs. how I am driving. My 2 cents

My husband and I use to have a route every week in the winter where we had to be at major Groc stores to see the meat managers before they left for the day. This one early morning we were leaving Marshalltown, Iowa heading to I-80. We’d had an ice storm during the nite so everything was like a mirrow. I was the lead driver with lots of cars and semi’s behind me. I was doing 30 at best. Nobody tried to pass. All staying respectfully back. Till out of nowhere came a milk truck passing all of us. My husband said just stay the speed you are going he will end up upside down somewhere. Sure enough a few miles down the road and he had went we figure to make a L turn and was on his side in the highway. I just kept going with all the traffic right behind me I knew someone would stop. Talk about white knuckles. Yes I had them and yes I’m one of the Ethle’s. But I’ve never ever had a ticket of any kind or a fender bender. I’ve been driving for 60 years. My slate is clean. I get a deduction on my insurance every year that I don’t have a violation. How many can say that. PROUD to be an Ethel with white knuckles.

I’m and excellent driver………..Kmart sucks

Freezing rain to a mirror finish is pretty slick Mary, I would have done the same thing because its better then the ditch or hitting someone.

We used to rabbit hunt alot in the Mt. Pleasant and west of there area. We’ed be having snow up here then get to just south of Iowa City and it would turn to freezing rain. It would stay that way until we’ed get down around Mt’Pleasant and then turn to light rain. It happened quite a few times and believe me we went slow too. I remember ice on the hog wire fenceing that looked like spider webs quite a few times, we never drove fast and I’m smart enough to never do it in the future.

We’ed get to where we were going to hunt sometimes and the grass and weeds would have an 1/8th of and inch of ice on them, the rabbits would be sitting tight and the dog would kick them up right in front of us, talk about fun! Atleast we made it there by driving a safe speed.