« DDD-Old Man with a Ponytail Preview | Main | Support Our trOOPS? »

Happy Thanksgiving

SkiddingOut.JPG

Be thankful you didn't skid out on the exit ramp.

SkiddingOut2.JPG

And be thankful your dog didn't skid out on the couch.

SkiddingOut3.JPG

Also, be thankful you checked your laundry for hidden ink pens, so they didn't skid out in the dryer.

Comments

You sure that isn't yours on the couch?


The first couple weeks of snow everyone somehow turns into a species that you would think has never driven on snow & ice before. It's a strange annual occurrence that baffles my Minnesotan mind.


I too, used to think the same Mel, that is until today...I was returning to work from lunch in Duluth. There were two cars stopped on the Wisconsin side of the viaduct curve to the High Bridge. One was sideways completely blocking its exit. I was going twenty mph and saw the stopped car as early as I could have, on the far side of the turn atop of the hill. Effectively smashing into the middle car, which in turn, had smashed into the sideways car... Similar to colliding croquet balls. There was nothing else I could have done, (short of driving ten mph) and nowhere else for me to go. Good news is that no one was hurt, my car and I made a brief appearance on the WDIO news (I think that's good, hmm) the damage was relatively minor, and the nearly missed multi-car pile up and car flipping accident on the High bridge was seconds in front of me. Also, the driver in my accident was able to get her car started and out of the way just as a semi was barreling towards us. Whew, I thought I was a sitting duck. Bad news, I'm just starting to settle the insurance claims and I fear that it could become grueling. Side note, I'm no longer a fan of anti-lock brakes. The bridge was shut down right afterwards as we all waited for the highway patrol to finish the 2 hour ordeal. Nevertheless, Happy Thanksgiving everyone.


I think the reason this happens in the early winter is that there's more fluctuation in temperature, which leads to more ice on the roads. Driving on snow is a learned skill, but driving on ice is practically impossible.


Thanks, Dr. Science!

Incidentally, I jammed up a car last winter at about 25mph in slick snow too. And, similarly, I made the good choice (big pile of rocks vs. deep ravine). Why do/can anti-lock brakes suck so bad in greasy snow? Up until then, I was under the impression that they were a good thing that would slow me down faster, but I definitely had the brake pedal to the floor and there was no braking action going on ...

I don't know who ThePartsGuy is, but I'm assuming he can answer this.


pump the breaks in that weather. Yesterday was just crazy, little snow but massive sliding, even going 20 or so, sheesh. Took me 3 hours to get to the cities, and only 1:50 coming back today.


Anti-lock brakes are superior in slippery conditions. The car pumps the brake for you, better than you can. If you can't stop in time with anti-lock brakes, you wouldn't have been able to stop in time anyway. Most likely, you were going too fast.


But- if I am in my giant SUV- I can drive as fast as I want, right?


if you're going to slide, you're going to slide no matter what. I've seen as many 4X4's in the ditch as any other car. Having the car pump your brakes For you takes away a lot of the finesse of driving in icy conditions. they're either on or off...at least with power brakes, you can control how much pressure is being applied therefore better able to control the rotation of your tires.

Our 740 GLE is all finesse.


Post a comment


Seriously: If you click "post" more than once, you're going to end up looking really stupid.

If you don't see your comment after it's published, try refreshing your browser.