Scrib

OK, so we're finally starting to see the snow pile up here in the Chicago area. I woke up to about 4" maybe 5" of the white stuff on the ground. I'm proud to say my car took it just fine, even on the overpasses and expressway ramps which were snow covered. :P Not a hiccup.

Ok, with that said...



Do SUV drivers really think they walk on water.. er... snow??? Seriously. What the hell is up with people passing snow plows driving OVER the speed limit in their 4x4s? DO they really think they're that much better off others? They must have fallen asleep in Physics class.

Case in point.

On my way to work. Posted speed limit is 35, I'm going maybe 25,l more like 20. I see a tall vehicle in my mirror approaching rather quickly. The SUV then darts off into the inside lane, which was fully covered in snow.

A slight bend is coming up. And guess what. Slide, slide slippity slide... Damn thing didn't stand a chance.

The X5 begins to head sideways RIGHT into a utility pole. SMACK!!! Glass files everywhere. Airbags go off.

So I pull up. The driver has some scrapes but is fortunately OK. I call for an ambulance and police assistance and stay with the guy. Turns out, he was heading to the train station, just like I was. Looks like he's going to have to call off today.

I waited around until the police and paramedics showed up. He was conscience the whole time. I'm sure he was just shaken up, but they secured his neck and were talking all precautions necessary.

So I get back into my car, begin the trek towards work and not more than 6 blocks from the accident, I see an SUV do a 360 after trying to make a right turn at an intersection. Maybe it's just not their day...




And with that. PLEASE slow down. I don't care what in the hell you drive. Nothing is going to save you when conditions presented themselves like they did today.

Be safe all...

Slimey

F=MA

...this should be a very easy concept to comprehend, but people just don't get it.

YuppieCL

werd... all these suv's were flying down a major thoroughfare near my town... they drive like the crazy hicks they are....

i was fine in the snow... even in turns.... these blizzaks are badass... but in no way mean i could drive as i wish in the snow...

hemants

Momentum = mass x velocity^2

Fast SUV = never going to stop on snow = that's why it's always an SUV in a ditch in the snow.

They should start a group called MADT, mothers against dangerous trucks.

Six Shifter

blame it on advertising, which gives your typical SUV driver the false sense of invinceability. same applies to large pu trucks. these vehicles are the ones most likely to be seen racked up during bad weather, such as what we are experiencing this week.

hemants

MADT - on second thought, it's all the mothers in minivan denial who buy these trucks because they think it makes them young and adventurous.

Chaptorial

Yeah around here the SUV drivers fly around town when the snow is on the ground. Sometimes you'll even see RWD Stangs passing the SUV's only to end up in a ditch. Everyone's in a hurry to go somewhere.

Meanwhile if you do the math between how much time you'll save from going 35-40 insetad of 20-25 it dont add up to much at all.

chef chris

It's funny you should mention this, as I was bitchin about the same thing yesterday on the way to work.

EVERY SINGLE 4X4 was swerving...trying to go 40 or 50 MPH(or faster). I was behind a black Ford F-250 duallie who nearly missed passing motorists about 10 times in 5 miles of road. People were driving with no lights, not using signals & just going too damn fast. It amazes me.

EDIT: I have to say though, that my CL did one hell of a job getting thru that mess with little sliding/spinning. I am fairly confident in that cars ability after riding thru that slush yesterday.

rickm

I drive my Land Rover in bad weather. Although it goes in almost anything, stopping all of that mass is another matter since it weighs almost 5000 lbs. No matter how well someting GOES in the snow, STOPPING is another story and it seems lot of people don't remember that. As for me, I don't care who passes me in bad weather, not one ounce of my competitive nature is there when it's bad out. I want to get where I am going safely and not take someone "out" with me.

NSXNEXT

iTrader: (2)

In the case of the X5 owner, it adds up to a hefty surcharge on his insurance.

Be safe everyone.

Scrib

I was so pissed this morning, I ended up writing a rant to the local paper. We'll see if the letter gets published.

Ray Khan

yeah, not to mention most people lift when they lose traction....how is 4WD/AWD going to help when they do that.

dallison

esp the tractor trailers going 70 on a snow covered highway. the wind from the truck rushing by is enough to make you squirrely

F23A4

It could also be a function I running to catch the train. I'm guilty as charged on that one myself in my minivan. Seeing as my wife is in no hurry to help me in my efforts to catch the train, I'm forced to go faster than I want to in getting there. As a result, I fancy myself now as a master of snow drifting.

Two weeks ago while running to Jersey Ave (NJ Transit train station to NYC), I witnessed some Pathfinder nearly lose control in front of me in trying to negotiate a left turn quickly. (Seems the steer-countersteer concept eluded him.) I was able to negotiate the turn @ similar speed in my minivan without issue.

That said, you're right: we've GOT to slow down in snowy/icy conditions despite the impulse to hurry.

gto2050

4WD is great but no one has invented 4WStop yet.

NSXNEXT

iTrader: (2)

evilstorm

Scribb, what local paper did you write to? i have the same problems on the south side

Shawn S

Never a bad winter season passes without me seeing at least TWO or THREE 50,000 dollar SUV’s off the side of the road with their tires pointed skyward.

Now that the H2’s are all the rage, I’m sure I’ll see a few of those wrecked in the immediate future.
I can’t imagine trying to bring one of those suckers to a controlled stop once you get a bit out of control.

proaudio22

The only SUV that has any business hurrying around is an H1. If you hit a pole, so what. Another spot for some touch-up paint.

Scrib

The Times

Sly Raskal

iTrader: (1)

honestly half the SUV owners don't know how to drive their vehicles anyways regardless of where the live!

But I totallly feel for ya cuz it would bug the living shyt out of me if i lived in an area where it snowed and those fools thought they could handle the conditions just cuz they have an SUV.

i swear the DMV should offer different tests depending on the vehicle you drive lol

F23A4

Ironically, it seemed like the H2 outnumbered any other car @ South Beach (Miami).

gto2050

You REALLY need them with all the snow in Florida!

bigman

you can get up and go with a heavy 4 wheel drive vehicle, but you will handle and stop just like everyone else.

Sarlacc

People are morons, and seeing them total their vehicles to me, is a serves them right. Sadly, they wont walk away learning any lesson. Theyll blame whoever made the SUV, go buy someone else and do the same stupid shit.

Is it me, cause when i get in an SUV I notice the feeling of a higher center of gravity, and I always go into corners slower. And Im actually more cautious driving one in inclimate weather. WHY? Cause i know they arent indestrucable and if you fuck up you could do more harm then good.

They really need to make a special operators liscense for SUV and trucks. But sadly i wouldnt see that doing any good.

blader

So if you drive a sports car .. does that mean our driving test would consist of slalom, 1\4mile, and a run around a track?

Sly Raskal

iTrader: (1)

Sounds good to me!!!

If you are going to buy a supercar i would hope you know how to handle high speed driving if you take em to the track, otherwise what a waste of a great car unless you buy them purely for the collector garage that you have.

Maximized

It gets me how many people don't know how to drive in the snow. Like mentioned before a SUV doesnt stop any faster than a sedan. My dad took me into a big parking lot and let me have fun in his RWD car. After about 10 minutes I was able to detect oversteer/understeer and how to correct it.

Crazy Bimmer

I drove the speed limit all day, i hate slow drivers.

power3dfx

They probably thought that they finally can do what their SUV was meant for, deal with terrain that normal cars would have trouble with.
This reminds me of the VW toureag commercial. PERFECT EXAMPLE. They show the jetta trying to go over the snow, but it gets stuck. Then they show the big ute and how it plows right through.
SUVs are the dumbest thing imo, heavyweight with crappier than a civic braking(even the highest models), less power because of all the weight to carry, less handling.
Suv drivers will continue to think their cars can handle poor conditions better, and if they ever stop, be sure there will be a decline in SUV sales!
Good thing the guy was safe though, and more importantly i think we all learned a lesson from these guys. Most of us here know what those drivers did was just asking for it, but let this serve as a reminder.
We dont have snow here in cali, so are accidents are thanks to traffic instead of natural hazards.

Minch00

"Honey, was that a pothole?"

"No dear, it was a FUCKING CIVIC"

dfreder371

It sucked this morning in NW Chicago suburbs. Work is 12.3 miles from my garage door. Took 135 minutes!

Sly Raskal

iTrader: (1)

To a certain extent any vehicle driven by an unqaulified driver is an accident waiting to happen.

But I won't disagree that the hummer h1 or h2 is a helluva lot more durable than other SUV's out there, or so i've heard.

Pure Adrenaline

iTrader: (2)

4x4 only helps with off-the-line traction and once you are going at higher speeds, it doesn't do shit. If you've ever driven on the interstate during a severe snow storm or a blizzard, it's ALWAYS the SUV's in the ditches. Dumb motherfvckers. They deserve it for being so cocky.

My first car was a Tahoe, and my dad taught me that the very day I started driving. I've never lost control of that car in the snow, even in 2wd. In fact, I seldom needed 4wd because I learned to control everything just by steering input and amount of gas applied. My dad's never lost control of the Tahoe, either, or his new XL Denali. When we see these helpless people on their cell phones calling for help because they were too cocky with their 4wd vehicles, I just laugh at them. Better luck next time, sucker. I hope you learned a lesson.

But it's a different story when a 4x4 driver drives likes a jackass, cutting people off in the snow. I hope he crashes and burns to his horrible death. If you're gonna be a dick, do it somewhere else and not put other people's lives at risk.

brian6speed

iTrader: (5)

Yea it was bs today. I was driving precautiously, because i have the shitty stock michelins and all the roads were covered in snow all day. I had suvs tailgating me the whole time. Its so annoying thought for sure id get rear ended. Then i was driving on a one lane road that wasnt even plowed yet, there was like 4 inches on the ground and slushy, i was going 20-25 in a 30, and this minivan zooms up behind me and starts gettin inches from my bumper, then he swerves over into the oncoming lane, not that you can see the lanes anyways and swerves a little and almost lost control and hit me as he sped past at about 40-50 flicking me off at the same time. I couldnt believe it. People here dont change their habits one bit no matter whats on the ground.

blader

The H1 is a pure tank .. that would be my vehicle of choice in adverse conditions. FULL time TRUE locked 4x4, with independent axles at each wheel .. but its being a tank, it also WEIGHS like a tank .. at nearly 9000lbs, its not going to stop anytime soon either. but I think it tops out at like 65 or 70 lol.

heyitsme

Was the same here, a lot of people don't give themselves any extra time when it snows so they go around driving at crazy speeds to to get to work or wherever on time. Saw a number of cars all over crashed, people tailgating me like I should be going faster when the road is snow covered.

rickm

Holy CRAP! I just got home, sleet/rain/snow mix. I watched a Pathfinder tailgate a Corolla in the left lane doing about 50 on a 2 lane highway (I could only do 42 in a full time 4 wheel drive vehicle safely) . When I looked over, they were BOTH on cell phones, I am not sure but I think there were actually 4 offenses here, 1- Corolla holding someone up, he could have been in the right lane. 2- Pathfinder driving like a butt-head about 2 feet from Corolla's bumper. 3- Cell phones while driving (and ESPECIALLY in bad conditions) 4- that I didn't just swerve over and push them both the hell off the road before they kill innocent people!