Driving in the Snow - How do you feel
Discussion
Do you feel confident enough to drive in the Snow?
The reason that i ask this is that on Wednesday, when all the snow came down in the evening rush hour....i was working in the control room on the M1.
Two people abandoned their cars on the hardshoulder of the Motorway and telephoned the control room to report the matter to Police once they had arrived home.
Sure enough, a quick check on the cameras showed their cars abandoned in situ. One was a Boxster and the other a BMW Convertible.
The reasons given for the cars being abandoned...
"Couldnt handle the power and the car was slipping and sliding all over the place".
Just makes you think about the quality and general standard of peoples driving and roadsense.
Didnt realise that they had to use the Emergency SOS boxes to inform the Police etc etc.
The reason that i ask this is that on Wednesday, when all the snow came down in the evening rush hour....i was working in the control room on the M1.
Two people abandoned their cars on the hardshoulder of the Motorway and telephoned the control room to report the matter to Police once they had arrived home.
Sure enough, a quick check on the cameras showed their cars abandoned in situ. One was a Boxster and the other a BMW Convertible.
The reasons given for the cars being abandoned...
"Couldnt handle the power and the car was slipping and sliding all over the place". Just makes you think about the quality and general standard of peoples driving and roadsense.
Didnt realise that they had to use the Emergency SOS boxes to inform the Police etc etc.
I do feel confident driving in the snow with the Merc sprinter but wouldn't try in the chim... cos i dont have to and im not having all that salt on the beast.
Now i feel that i can drive in it, but seeing people on Wednesday morning it was a joke. I know it is bad and hard to drive but if you can't drive in the snow don't try at all.
I was driving down a side road and theres a hill on it and as im going to go down the hill i see a car half way up the hill with the hazards on and blocking the road. I asked the woman can she pull the car to the side(reverse and park it) so i could get by... No i'm too scared to. I reversed her car back on the level and round the corner to her drive.... if she had turned left there is no hill and takes her to a clear main road.
I'm more scared of the people who cant drive in it.
Now i feel that i can drive in it, but seeing people on Wednesday morning it was a joke. I know it is bad and hard to drive but if you can't drive in the snow don't try at all.
I was driving down a side road and theres a hill on it and as im going to go down the hill i see a car half way up the hill with the hazards on and blocking the road. I asked the woman can she pull the car to the side(reverse and park it) so i could get by... No i'm too scared to. I reversed her car back on the level and round the corner to her drive.... if she had turned left there is no hill and takes her to a clear main road.
I'm more scared of the people who cant drive in it.
tony,i was driving to work during the downpour and i was having to go along flicking from 'n' to 'd' as everytime someone broke infront i found the car's backend wanting to overtake the front and this left me going along at 45degs just to keep on a straight line.
if people has kept driving at sensible speeds and not at 10mph and constantly hitting their brakes just because of a bit of snow then maybe alot of the hold-ups could have been avoided round my area,instead it took 1hr 20mins to get through the overcautious and hesitant tw@s who were crawling in slush alongside the cars on the inside lane and wouldnt move back to the inside lane to let anyone else past them,even though we were trying to pass them.
btw when we finally got past the osl hoggers we managed to sit at 45mph without a problem,the traffic on the nearside lane was doing about 15mph and sliding all over the place.
if people has kept driving at sensible speeds and not at 10mph and constantly hitting their brakes just because of a bit of snow then maybe alot of the hold-ups could have been avoided round my area,instead it took 1hr 20mins to get through the overcautious and hesitant tw@s who were crawling in slush alongside the cars on the inside lane and wouldnt move back to the inside lane to let anyone else past them,even though we were trying to pass them.
btw when we finally got past the osl hoggers we managed to sit at 45mph without a problem,the traffic on the nearside lane was doing about 15mph and sliding all over the place.
I know 5 people that are happy driving in the snow.
2 of them crashed this week, one through massive overconfidence, one through a simple misjudgement.
I'm confident in snow because I took a car out to a deserted car park when I was 17 and practiced all night in it. Then I took it on some twisty B-roads and down an 11% hill.
One hell of an experience, and a few times I was lucky not to crash, but I learnt, and now snow feels just fine to me.
2 of them crashed this week, one through massive overconfidence, one through a simple misjudgement.
I'm confident in snow because I took a car out to a deserted car park when I was 17 and practiced all night in it. Then I took it on some twisty B-roads and down an 11% hill.
One hell of an experience, and a few times I was lucky not to crash, but I learnt, and now snow feels just fine to me.
tonyrec said:
Do you feel confident enough to drive in the Snow?
The reason that i ask this is that on Wednesday, when all the snow came down in the evening rush hour....i was working in the control room on the M1.
Two people abandoned their cars on the hardshoulder of the Motorway and telephoned the control room to report the matter to Police once they had arrived home.
Sure enough, a quick check on the cameras showed their cars abandoned in situ. One was a Boxster and the other a BMW Convertible.
The reasons given for the cars being abandoned...
Just makes you think about the quality and general standard of peoples driving and roadsense.
Didnt realise that they had to use the Emergency SOS boxes to inform the Police etc etc.
So.. The solution is simple then. We get rid of all the scameras, silly bumps and other bits of general stupidity brought in by overwrought school teachers turned councillors. Then we cut the policemans salary by 60% but we allow hime to collect and sell the cars owned by people who are clearly incapable of driving them. Also he could have a cut of the ever popular TV series "Police stop I want your car"
Alternatively "So you abandonned your car on the hard shoulder cos it was slipping and sliding?" "Could you report to the Tattoo artist in the high street tommorow to have
wit tattooed on your forhead so everyone knows what you are and by next week you will be on the dole."tonyrec said:
Do you feel confident enough to drive in the Snow?
Yes.
To be fair I do a lot of miles all year round in Scandinavia and therefore get a shade more practice than most people in UK.
Never mind the driver, the car is therefore better equipped than most to deal with it which does help.
The problems most people seem to have is that they no longer exhibit delicacy of touch when handling the controls.
I felt more or less ok driving in last weeks snowy conditions, though curiously I preferred the responses from my old 200sx than my scooby, all that 4x4 limited diff nonsense! You know where you are with RWD!
I had expected to be coasting past all the non 4x4 numpties looking smug but that didn't really happen as nothing was moving in Colchester on Wednesday night, total gridlock, most annoying was muggins here sitting with all 4 wheels on the pavement to let a constant stream of ambulances/police cars through and evryone else just staring at them and sitting nose to tail in the middle of the road!
I hate the way this country goes to pot everytime we get some real weather!
As has been mentioned before, deserted car park, couple of hours, and a full tank is invaluable in learning about your car and how it handles in the snow!
Dave
I had expected to be coasting past all the non 4x4 numpties looking smug but that didn't really happen as nothing was moving in Colchester on Wednesday night, total gridlock, most annoying was muggins here sitting with all 4 wheels on the pavement to let a constant stream of ambulances/police cars through and evryone else just staring at them and sitting nose to tail in the middle of the road!
I hate the way this country goes to pot everytime we get some real weather!
As has been mentioned before, deserted car park, couple of hours, and a full tank is invaluable in learning about your car and how it handles in the snow!
Dave
Why don't people just dip their clutch when the car slides. Then there is no engine braking and traction is quickly restored.
It's saved me a couple of times - mind you I was in a 280bhp Cosworth engined RWD MK3 escort on grooved slicks on a snowy rally at Oulton Park doing about 80mph downhill at Clay Hill`!!
Do I feel confident on snow. Not then I didn't. i thought I may have been on for a biggy.
It's saved me a couple of times - mind you I was in a 280bhp Cosworth engined RWD MK3 escort on grooved slicks on a snowy rally at Oulton Park doing about 80mph downhill at Clay Hill`!!
Do I feel confident on snow. Not then I didn't. i thought I may have been on for a biggy.
nonegreen said:
So.. The solution is simple then. We get rid of all the scameras, silly bumps and other bits of general stupidity brought in by overwrought school teachers turned councillors. Then we cut the policemans salary by 60% but we allow hime to collect and sell the cars owned by people who are clearly incapable of driving them.
No, youve got it all wrong.....Increase my pay by 60% and i will be a happy bunny.
I refer the right honerable gentleman to this thread
http://pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?f=23&h=&t=78599
http://pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?f=23&h=&t=78599
DJFish said:
...................
I hate the way this country goes to pot everytime we get some real weather!
As has been mentioned before, deserted car park, couple of hours, and a full tank is invaluable in learning about your car and how it handles in the snow!
Dave
You'll be luckly in these days of 24/7 shopping to find a deserted car park. We really MISS our local Tesco's on a Sunday! Nice steep gradient -- it was PERFECT!!!
Like rest of my family - perfectly happy in snow/ice/fog/rain! We were brought in Switzerland! Every member of this family has received advanced training as well!
Trouble with UK - too many complacent folk around!
I'm fairly happy to drive in snow, but the car car seems to make a difference. The 540 has a winter mode setting in the autobox that lets you lock it in the gear of your choice, apart from 1st. 3rd gear and a gentle right foot works a treat. It seems blessed with a braking system that seems to wait to the last minute before kicking in the ABS too.
I did have snowchains, a shovel and lots of spare clothes with me just in case though...
I did have snowchains, a shovel and lots of spare clothes with me just in case though...
tonyrec said:
Do you feel confident enough to drive in the Snow?
Interesting question. I have driven my Boxster S in the snow and feel perfectly confident in it. Once the snow has compacted down to icy sheets and which freeze then the car becomes more difficult to handle. It is at this time that ABS/PSM becomes quite effective.
Our TVR Chimaera is the problem. It is USELESS in icy conditions. My wife abandoned it in the rail station car park on this occasion. Last winter when we had the same weather she got it most of the way home but on our ungritted estate I had to come out and take over. It was opposite lock the whole way until eventually I could not arrange to get enough of a run up at a hill to make it home.
So I'm confident - but RWD, lightweight, no electronics - no chance.
So this year, as last year, I had to have some mates push the Tiv up our drive (steep hill) and ignominiously into the garage...
My wife now says if snow is forecast the Tiv stays in the garage.
Yes feel confident. The midlands was not badly hit with just a few cms of snow. OK the scoob got AWD but even full throttle wouldn't break traction - that's how light the snow was, yet brum went into gridlock. The main roads were fine, motorway was clear yet still travelling at a walking pace. I just came home on the b / c roads - had to actually do some observation and thinking but average speed was probably still 3 times the numpties on the main roads.
Next day was even worst, set off at 6.30am to be in Wokingham. The motorway was clear, sections caught in the morning sun were even dry and yet average speed was 50/60 because you could "see snow at the side of the road".
Actually made me think that prehaps we do need to have speed limits. The majority of drivers I saw had no idea of how to drive. The conditions (esp the next morning) were significantly better than driving in the heavy rain of the previous weeks. Then the numpties barrel down the motorway at 100, see a bit of snow and now they want to do 10mph.
The media also had their part to pay with continous warnings of how dire the roads were, drumming up a crisis.
P.S didn't crash, didn't even come close, didn't even have a "little" slide and was still overtaking people.
Next day was even worst, set off at 6.30am to be in Wokingham. The motorway was clear, sections caught in the morning sun were even dry and yet average speed was 50/60 because you could "see snow at the side of the road".
cortinaman said:
if people has kept driving at sensible speeds and not at 10mph and constantly hitting their brakes just because of a bit of snow then maybe alot of the hold-ups could have been avoided
Actually made me think that prehaps we do need to have speed limits. The majority of drivers I saw had no idea of how to drive. The conditions (esp the next morning) were significantly better than driving in the heavy rain of the previous weeks. Then the numpties barrel down the motorway at 100, see a bit of snow and now they want to do 10mph.
The media also had their part to pay with continous warnings of how dire the roads were, drumming up a crisis.
P.S didn't crash, didn't even come close, didn't even have a "little" slide and was still overtaking people.
For six years I refused to drive in the snow - this was after I managed to park a Hilman Imp in someone's lounge after hitting a patch of black ice.
Then came the company car - someone else's insurance, NCB, etc, so I started to get a bit of practice in. The Nova is fine in the snow - skinny tyres help. But I am very cautious. I would rather not skid than try to avoid the ditch so I take it nice and slow. Possibly too slow for some but I got to work and back OK. I pull over when cars behind me want to travel faster than me - did this once for a Granada only to see it in the ditch one mile up the road.
It was reported on the local news in Essex that there were actually fewer accidents on the snowy days due to people taking extra care.
Then came the company car - someone else's insurance, NCB, etc, so I started to get a bit of practice in. The Nova is fine in the snow - skinny tyres help. But I am very cautious. I would rather not skid than try to avoid the ditch so I take it nice and slow. Possibly too slow for some but I got to work and back OK. I pull over when cars behind me want to travel faster than me - did this once for a Granada only to see it in the ditch one mile up the road.
It was reported on the local news in Essex that there were actually fewer accidents on the snowy days due to people taking extra care.
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