BigLoad
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Post by BigLoad on Nov 6, 2023 13:21:43 GMT -8
Ha ha, MD/NoVa is the worst for driving in snow. Everyone I've ever known has said that people here are horrible drivers in the snow. Curiously, however, I've never heard any of them say, "Yeah, I'm one of the bad drivers. Sorry." In a form of mild defense, we get a lot of so-called "wintry mix", a combination of snow, sleet, hail, and rain, which can be quite unpredictable even at very low accumulations. And black ice is a sure 'nuff thing 'round here. They are worse than NJ/NY/PA drivers, but not as bad as those in GA.
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rebeccad
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Writing like a maniac
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Post by rebeccad on Nov 6, 2023 15:04:36 GMT -8
It’s easy to pick on drivers in places where there is usually very little snow, but naturally they don’t get much practice. What’s more, you don’t put snow tires on your car in case there are 2 days in the winter when they might be useful. If you’re able, you just stay home on those days. Seattle seems to have gotten a little better at plowing streets than it was 30 years ago, based on last winter’s Big Storm. Still, plowing doesn’t go beyond arterials. For us, the problem was the 2 blocks from our house to the arterial.
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Post by absarokanaut on Nov 6, 2023 16:52:50 GMT -8
I've never put snow tires on my 4WD vehicles, just all season.
In addition to not getting much snow I imagine the DC Metro area gets lots of folks moving in and out from even warmer climates and far less driving experience than Cavaliers or Terrapins.
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rebeccad
Trail Wise!
Writing like a maniac
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Post by rebeccad on Nov 6, 2023 19:31:29 GMT -8
Of course, the terrain matters, too. What is easily negotiated on the flat becomes a real hazard on the sloping streets of Seattle.
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Post by High Sierra Fan on Nov 6, 2023 19:38:42 GMT -8
And habits matter as well, what you’re routinely exposed to. . I’ll never forget returning from my roommates parents house south of San Diego on the freeway Junior Year when it started to drizzle (it was November when most all San Diego rain happens) and before we’d returned the few miles up to UCSD I’d seen three spinnouts where it was clear drivers had approached their off ramp too fast for the lessened road traction and spun as they either over braked or just lost traction with their hard turn onto the of ramp and spun. Not really their fault in a city that, with a perfectly straight face, reported in the hundredths rainfall totals. And due to the Costal climate bunched just about all the rain into a six week to two month stretch starting in November meaning a lot of oil buildup on the road and not much wet driving experience.
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