I'll trust that that's an exaggeration for Seattle, but that's EXACTLY how they behave in the Washington, DC metro area.
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I'll trust that that's an exaggeration for Seattle, but that's EXACTLY how they behave in the Washington, DC metro area.
I don't think it matters where you live. Over the summer, the collective always forgets how to drive in the snow or rain.
At least here in Deschutes County you can take a skid car class and learn how to drive donuts legally. Woohoo!
Yes, they do a pretty good job of plowing and treating the roads here, but if you saw my driveway and how it is totally frozen over for about 2 months, on and off, that becomes irrelevant. We have a guy plow it, but the ice forms from the lack of sun and the constant melting and thawing every day.
AWD does help. I once drove home from work in a blizzard, before the driveway had been plowed. I went right through about 13 inches of snow, up the hill... in a sedan, not an SUV.
I spent a few winters on the east coast before coming to Seattle, and quickly learned that it is a mistake to drive even with light snow or ice -- stuff that east coasters scoff at.
East coast roads get plowed, and they spread sand or other stuff on the roads to help your tires grab onto something. Your ability to drive in that kind of weather depends on those roads being treated.
Not realizing that treating the roads made such a big difference, and feeling confident from my experiences of east coast winters, I tried driving after a light snow during my first winter in Seattle and skidded all over the place. Thankfully did not damage my car or anyone else's.
A lot of people dealt with this past year's unusual amount of snow by putting chains on their tires. I think it's not so much an "amnesia" problem as it is that it is very unusual to get that kind of weather, so it's not a skill you work on. And why would you, if it's only like that for at most a day at a time?
Back in the day before AWD, my mom's big Buick station wagon was AWESOME at getting up snow-blocked hills like that!Quote:
Originally Posted by Crankin
Trust me. In Northern California, we'd have a dry summer and the first rain meant tons of accidents on the oily roads.Quote:
Originally Posted by jocelynlf
Here in Bend, same thing when the first snow arrives. It's insane when it's the same weather pattern year after year.
It's best to avoid driving on the first snow days and let everyone bang up each others cars and save yours. And here they don't plow unless the storm drops 4 inches so you can get quite a bit of snow if you get just a few inches every day, day after day. 2 winters ago, we had ridges so deep I was plowing them down with my Isuzu Trooper. Good thing was we were skiing from the driveway!
Surprisingly, it even happens here in Norway where snow-condition driving classes are an obligatory part of driver education (whheeeee! great fun spinning and sliding around on an oil-and-soap-slicked track!). Nevertheless, first day of snow (or supercooled rain that freezes on contact! :eek:) there is always traffic chaos somewhere or other in town; always a driver or two or three who's postponed putting on winter tires until the last minute and then doesn't have time that morning, not to mention long-haul truckers from down on the Continent who don't even own winter tires or chains and who wind up jack-knifed and blocking the freeways here and there. But by day 2 we've got our act together for the rest of the winter ... pretty much ... including stopping long-haul truckers at the borders to check that their vehicles are appropriately "shod" for winter.Quote:
Originally Posted by SadieKate
As for AWD, yes, we've got that now and it's great, but some cars do fine without. Some are heavy tanks that plow their way through. Some light-weighters seem to float on top yet keep their grip if the tires are good enough. Our old Renault 4 was a champ at getting through snow drifts, axel-deep Spring thaw mud, whatever. I think it was the independent front suspension and FWD that did it. The car seemed to just elbow its way up out of stuff one front wheel at a time. When we did our slick-conditions driving class, DH and I, even the instructor couldn't get our FWD Opel something (compact stationwagon) to do a front end skid, not even when he picked up speed and snapped on the handbrake, while another family's Mazda stationw was all over the road no matter how they tried to pull out of their skids. Some cars just handle better than others. So as for what car to drive in Seattle ... it might pay to ask the AAA how different models perform on the skid-class tracks.
Hah.Quote:
Originally Posted by Duck on Wheels
Just another simple, sensible thing you have in Europe.... :rolleyes:
In the USA, many road race tracks offer driving schools on off weekends - but "many" is a relative term, since there are few road race tracks at all in the USA - and they are all sponsored. So you drive the track's cars, all the same, and it's not possible to compare different makes and models.
It's the exact opposite in Auckland :rolleyes: For a city that endures days of crappy weather, drivers have no idea how to handle the roads when it rains. Same in Perth...OOO it's raining..what shall we dooooooo :rolleyes:
When Ian was in Edmonton with me, he learnt very quickly how to drive in -30C! He did univ in Christchurch which does get a bit cold but nothing like Edmonton.
I do remember the side street we lived on in Edm & it was rarely plowed. I think i biked back then & would normally have to walk my bike down the street through really big ruts hoping that it hadn't melted much that day. :rolleyes:
How much more can I take?
Stress, I mean. On the one hand, I got 7 of 11 things on my to do list done. I just haven't written down the other 100.
blah. I need a drink.
BTW, this is what I'm doing (click on regional tournaments) ssyb.com
Karen
So, I'm watching TV tonight and I see a commercial for this -
this apparently isn't a joke :eek:
http://www.chiaobama.com/
but, I don't know where else to put it except under "humor" bad humor.
OMGosh!
I hate to admit it, but I'm so glad that Bonnie explained that the second word's origins come from Eulogy - I was completely confused as to what the woman meant.Quote:
Originally Posted by Zen
Karen,
I think everyone can relate to that feeling of never getting even close to the end of one's To Do list. It can be overwhelming.
Treat yourself to a little break, which can make you come back all refreshed and more energetic.
Hope you feel a bit better today.
OMG:eek:Quote:
Originally Posted by TsPoet
Anything that sells...I guess.
Is there like a chiapope?:confused: