Scary driving today in IL

[CivicFan]

Originally Posted By: dparm
quattro has been a godsend in the snowstorms and heavy rains we've gotten, but this was one of the first times I can honestly say it kept me safe. :up:



tl;dr: I div>


We had the same thing yesterday. My winter car was skidding all over the place. Later on I took my wife's car and one more time I was grateful for the quattro.

Have you seen the video of the C6 climbing up the ski jump ramp? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crodbUBRcCg

 

[bradepb]

The county I work in used to have 180 plow drivers and have cut back to 130, you can tell the difference, its scary out there, and I think safe roads should be top priority over just about anything.

 

[MNgopher]

Yes, the level of service has been cut back in many areas but still does not change the fact that drivers must adjust to the driving conditions.

An example is the county I work in continues to add lane miles to the road system, but has not added any new plow trucks or drivers. That means that it takes longer to completely service the road network. It is what it is...

 

[calvin1]

What annoys me most is when they do plow but don't spread. Thanks for polishing that drivable nap down to fine glazing guys. A close second is where only the intersections are salted. That means that you slide until you're right at or past the stop sign and then get jerked to a halt; everyone behind you piles up on top. Sometimes doing nothing is better than the corners being cut selectively.

 

[bradepb]

yep people definately have to drive for conditions but I live in the metro-detroit area and gridlock is normal during certain hours in good weather and the last time we had a bad storm the salt truck drivers were out for one long shift and sent home , they can only work a certain number of hours, there replacements have been laid off, there are way to many cars on the road here to have many of the major freeways ice covered for an entire day. I have lived here all my life and never saw the roads so bad from a safety standpoint.

 

[MNgopher]

Oftentimes, plowing is done without salting on the majority of the route if it is in the middle of a storm event. This is done as the route will be replowed again to deal with the continuing snow, and much of the salt spread will be removed with the snow removal. Bad for budgets and bad for the environment - an all around waste.

A year or two ago our county ran into a salt shortage - our salt is mostly preordered and stockpiled, shipped by barge. Replacement salt by rail was three times more expensive. Salting was restricted in most areas to only at intersections, or other areas with known traction problems (steep shaded hills and shaded curves).

 

[morris]

hear in wichita ks weather man just said light snow on sun and heavy snow & ice mon. then very cold after that. guess ill send the son the store. have lots of work to do on my radio control truck, iam having trouble mixing my own nitro fuel.

 

[rpn453]

AWD is a lot of fun in slippery conditions, but the tires are by far the most important component for maintaining control. With decent winter tires, road salt is completely unnecessary.

 

[rslifkin]

^ Agreed. They should establish a certain set of criteria for braking distance and such, and make it illegal to drive in snow, slush, etc. without a vehicle / tire combo that meets them. Then, they could stop rotting out our vehicles with all the darn salt!