Snow - How To Drive In It

Now I'm in the Indian John Rest Area debating on chaining up here (mm 86) or going to the chain up area at mm71. Don't really want to do this at all.

Laura

It took about 1.5 hrs to chain up 3 tires. Had to redo 2 of them. It's been 4 years since I've chained up and vowed I wouldn't ever do it again. Think I'm going to ask for chain-up pay!

After I got done, I checked WSDOT Road Report and found this:

So, I am parked for the night and NOT taking roads I don't know (US 12 White Pass) and staying off US 2 Stevens Pass, in the winter. Besides, I got soaked by the snow and need to warm up.

Laura

OhmiWord, m'lady. Here in Ohio, we LIVE by backroads, (sometimes!)

Tried to msg you.. didn't work... idky. SAYING STAY PUT, YOU!

ps: Here's where MY unsmart other half is atm: (He refused a room.)

Ohio Roads

Hugs, luv,prayers.

~ anne ~

I lived in Spokane for a number of years. It gets bad up in Airway heights along 90. I Taught skiing in Kellogg ID. So it was a couple hour commute each way, over 4th of July pass and also up Lookout pass, (I taught at both Silver Mountain and Lookout) . Used to see 2 to 4 wrecks each trip or so (daily in the winter). Almost always one thing in common...too much speed. Most wrecks were SUVs, some pick up trucks, some cars. Very rarely saw any Big Trucks, but the ones I did were from one of two things....too much speed or really bad conditions with no chains. Just my observations.

I lived in Spokane for a number of years. It gets bad up in Airway heights along 90. I Taught skiing in Kellogg ID. So it was a couple hour commute each way, over 4th of July pass and also up Lookout pass, (I taught at both Silver Mountain and Lookout) . Used to see 2 to 4 wrecks each trip or so (daily in the winter). Almost always one thing in common...too much speed. Most wrecks were SUVs, some pick up trucks, some cars. Very rarely saw any Big Trucks, but the ones I did were from one of two things....too much speed or really bad conditions with no chains. Just my observations.

Ohio is LOOKING like Spokane today; Snow Trails will be BUSY tomorrow, methinks! (Our 'local' ski 'resort' .. haha!)

If you look it up, don't laugh.

Be safe..

~ Anne ~

I'm probably gonna catch some flack with my response but here goes, if you are not experienced in driving in snow (not ice) and you cannot muster more than 20mph with your flashers on in the only lane that has been cleared....get off the road and park. You are creating a dangerous situation for yourself and the other drivers. If its ice it's a different story but too many times I see a truck doing 20-30 in the snow in the one lane that has been hit by the plows and he has 20 vehicles backed up behind him. Also if you cannot drive without your emergency flashers on in the rain at 30 mph in the hammer lane without moving over, get off the road. You are not supposed to drive with your flashers on in the rain, it is dangerous. If you chose to still drive slowly, do it in the right lane. There is a huge difference between being safe and being stupid. If your driving has transformed from safe to stupid it's time for you to park it.

Flack for Mikey:

It is true that driving in snow at 20 MPH will be nerve wracking for following drivers are well as the truck's driver. It will take 4 - ever to get anywhere. But I'll drive 5 MPH in that single lane (4-ways on) if I need to go get to a safe place to stop. I mean safe truck parking, not the next off ramp.

It's already a dangerous situation and I bet most drivers will be rolling in the 20 MPH range anyway. I mentioned in the first post, and in that one about the Ft. Worth crash that it's not hard to go fast on snow or ice, it's just really hard to safely stop when you want to.

The same guess for heavy rain. Only drive as fast as you can see. If you can't see farther than 50 feet between the raindrops, you'll be down to 20 MPH anyway.

I agree about driving with flashers on. But it turns out state laws are a real patchwork on this. Check out AAA Digest of Motor Laws - Hazard Lights

Yes....I pulled off on the Tyler ramp. Only one lane clean when I took off at 1030 thismorning. Now I'm in the Indian John Rest Area debating on chaining up here (mm 86) or going to the chain up area at mm71. Don't really want to do this at all.

Laura

I was told to do 3, these 2 and one on the trailer. By the time I got them done, I was soaking wet and WSDOT shut down Snoqualmie Pass. As of 0800 WA time, they will reassess the avalanche threat at noon. They got 3 ft of snow in 48 hours.

The chain on the front tire is not as far down as it looks in this picture but farther down the side than I figured they should be. I readjusted that one.

Laura

Gotta get you some AutoSocks. 4 tires in 10 minutes. They would be perfect for straight snow as pictured.

Are 'truck' GPS accurate enough to drive by looking at the display? Or what tools might help the big rigs stay in the lane?

Asking bc (some time ago) I was on 64 from charlottesville to Richmond, midnight, snowing hard, no other vehicles, 2+" covering with no lines visible. I relied a lot on my car gps, and kept it under 60 and stayed in 2 wheel drive. 3 lanes and thought I was in the middle lane.

Suddenly a truck blasted passed me, 75+mph like he could see the road clearly. He came up on me so quickly, I had no time to slow, or move over. Very impressive!

That trucker wasn't using his GPS to stay in his lane.

There are other ways to "know" where you are as far as the lanes go. In the South you don't see these often, but in the Northern areas where snow is a regular occurrence there are markers along the edge of the highways so that you can guesstimate your distance from them and keep yourself in the lane. An experienced driver will see other things too. Even a slight line or change in the elevation of the snow level will show you where the edge of the pavement drops off at the shoulder. Some of these things may not be as noticeable to the novice or the driver who is focusing on his immediate surroundings. By looking up ahead of you you can often get a good idea of where the roadway actually lies. Sometimes we might even rely on the positions of mile marker posts and signs to help us. It is tricky, but when a person can't tell where they are on the road they really need to get off the road. Leave that kind of driving to the idiots and the folks who fool themselves into thinking they are experts. I have witnessed all kinds of what appears to be expert driving in the snow, only to see the same FedEx truck who flew passed me thirty minutes ago now laying on it's side in the median.

You might have been impressed, but you would have changed your mind if you saw him crashed later on. I see this all the time. I will be driving at what I am comfortable with as a safe speed in really bad weather, and other trucks will be passing me like I was barely going anywhere. I have driven in some really bad winter weather. I have not slid off the roadway and ended up in the ditch yet. Slow and easy is always the best policy if you feel you must keep pushing your load forward, or perhaps just trying to get to a parking area. Caution and good sense are often more productive than valor when there is ice out on the highways. I have done my share of pushing through really bad weather. I have also stopped and let dispatch know that we are just going to have to change our appointment. Both experience, and the lack of it, will help you understand which call to make.

Are 'truck' GPS accurate enough to drive by looking at the display? Or what tools might help the big rigs stay in the lane?

Asking bc (some time ago) I was on 64 from charlottesville to Richmond, midnight, snowing hard, no other vehicles, 2+" covering with no lines visible. I relied a lot on my car gps, and kept it under 60 and stayed in 2 wheel drive. 3 lanes and thought I was in the middle lane.

Suddenly a truck blasted passed me, 75+mph like he could see the road clearly. He came up on me so quickly, I had no time to slow, or move over. Very impressive!

3 lanes I-64 from C'Ville to Richmond? Where is this? Only place I can think of is just before Chesterfield, so basically Richmond.