The winter storm Uri is hitting many states which means snow and ice. There’s a lot of drivers in hard-hit states who are not very familiar with driving in winter conditions (Texas and Oklahoma, for example).
I grew up in the Seattle area where many are not prepared to drive in the snow. Also, Seattle has a lot of hills so it can be a little more complicated. Here’s what driving in a typical Seattle snow storm looks like:
It’s really not complicated to drive in the snow and one should be prepared to do so in case you have an emergency and need to drive to the hospital or get supplies. Here’s some guidance from Les Schwab on how to drive in winter conditions. This brief video also offers some basics:
The biggest mistake I’ve seen drivers make in both Seattle and Oklahoma is slamming on their brakes. That’s a big no-no! Drivers also tend to drive too fast, tailgate and pull out suddenly in front of a driver.
While many prefer to stay home during winter conditions, it’s really a good time to practice driving. There are less cars on the roads and you can familiarize yourself (a big empty parking lot is a good place to go) with how your car – and you – react to winter driving conditions.
Mostly importantly, remain calm. If you know how best to react, you will feel secure in the fact that you’ll get to your destination without a fender bender.
Safe driving!
DCG
That Seattle driver is a one-woman wrecking crew!
Thank you DCG for the informative post and the good advice.
Being in the Chicago area, one of the biggest problems is trying to find a parking spot when your park your car on-street.
We had a storm that lasted pretty much all day & all night yesterday – and I was driving through it all. It wasn’t super heavy, but it just didn’t stop, and after awhile, even the plows couldn’t keep up. What makes it bad is when it’s windy, and snow drifts form rapidly. Windshield wipers iced up quickly. I got home about 3 hours later than I should have (a 14 1/2 hour workday – haven’t had one of those in years), and was lucky to get a parking spot. Then I did a little shoveling in the hope I’d have a navigable path out of the house for this morning.
I don’t really know too many of my neighbors (except for the ones I share the house with), but we all have the sense to get outside and clear your own parking spots, and NOT put something đŞ like a chair to claim “dibs” – standard operating procedure in the Chicago area. I understand the reasoning for it, but it IS a public street.
A decade ago I had major knee surgery, and being self-employed, that meant no work, no income (no short-term disability either). For 2 months I was sidelined, and $$$$ was getting really really tight. So I had to go back a week earlier than planned, on light duty. That kinda went out the window on the 2nd day back. On that 2nd day, I agreed to do an overnight interoffice mail run all over Chicagoland cause it paid fairly well.
The weather forecast? Just under 2 feet of snow in a blizzard. âââââđ¨đ¨đ¨đ¨ And it was already well underway before I could start it. I got through the first 4 stops okay enough, though I had to slap on my knee brace rapidly upon getting out of the minivan cause it’s a blizzard. The 5th stop, I saw wasn’t plowed, so I passed it up, and went to the last one, which I didn’t quite make – came close though.
By this time driving on the tollway was so blinding, the only way to make sure I didn’t suddenly drive into the median, or off the road, was to maintain a certain distance by looking up at the street lamps lighting the tollway, which was also hard to see, cause it’s a blizzard. Periodically, I’d watch the road too.
Everybody was forced off at a certain exit, and I knew there was a Holiday Inn Express hotel nearby. I just pulled in the parking lot, and couldn’t afford the $90 for the room, so I caught a few zzzzzzz đ´ in the lobby, all the while wearing my locked brace.
Eventually the tollways/expressways were opened the next day, and it was surreal with virtually no traffic. I lived a half block from a main road, so it clear, and I parked easily. My street, though, hadn’t been plowed yet, so I had to walk on top of the snow with one leg locked in place, and using my crutches to help me along the way
Yikes, sounds like quite the ordeal you had to go through!
People in OK & Texas donât have a clue how to drive on slick snowy roads, because we donât get enough of it. We also donât have the correct snow equipment. Did anyone see the videos on YouTube around Ft. Worth on I-35 and the horrible wreck of the massive pileup where there were semis and cars tossed like toys? And it appears six people died. It was shocking.
We ventured out today and took it pretty slow. There were so many trucks barreling down the road like there was nothing to worry about. So maddening…
Saw this tonight..funny and oh, so true!
“You transplants that are new to Oklahoma, are about to experience âOklahoma Winterâ. This is 6 or 7 days of cold, maybe some ice and snow. The weatherman will threaten snow. It may snow, it may not and if the weatherman says 2 inches it could be 10 or it could be 1/2â. It doesnât matter how much snow it is, weâll all freak out because we donât see snow often.
The threat of snow (or ice) from the weatherman is your prompt to head to the grocery store and buy milk, eggs and bread. It doesnât matter if you need these items. Itâs just what we do. Everyone in town will be there.
Youâll also need to make a mad dash for faucet covers and finding them and getting out of the store will be like an episode of the hunger games. Youâre in the redneck district.
If you happen to slide off the road or get stuck, turn your flashers on, take a deep breath and wait. Two guys in a four wheel drive truck will be along in no time to offer assistance. Donât try to help them, they live for this stuff, and will do what they can to get you back on the road. If either one of them screams âhey yâall watch thisâ just get back and get your phone out and start recording, youâll probably have a viral video. Also of note, when they offer you beer and deer sticks, donât be rude, take them and smile.
When we act like weâre going to die and start to complain about the 7 days of winter just shut up, weâre serious and we donât care how much you love it. We donât.
Youâll be back in shorts and flip flops in a week to ten days and itâll be nice until right around Easter.
Oklahoma âsecond winterâ will be 2 or 3 days and will hit right around Easter, usually the week before or the week after. This will hit right around the time you plant flowers and a garden. We know youâre not from around here when we see youâve planted flowers before Easter and before the âsecond winterâ has hit.
During second winter itâll go from 70 to 25 and youâll experience all four seasons in one day. This too shall pass, get used to it and when second winter is over you can enjoy the 3-4 weeks of âspringâ before summer gets here and itâll be melt your face off hot until sometime around Halloween.
God bless Oklahoma!”
Too funny!
OK has always had erratic weather. Many are petrified of tornadoes. If you know what to do and take precautions you will be fine. Lived here all my life and no, we donât need any more people, thank you very much.
Personally, I think this “nationwide” storm is God punishing America for allowing Biden to usurp the White House
Oh! Gosh, while watching the film clip of the car(s) attempting to negotiate the bad streets–I must confess, I was experiencing a build up of stress hormone. Back in 1986, I hit a patch of black ice while attempting to go to work. The City sanding trucks had failed to sand the particular road I was on, and I hit a guy head on, after the car had slid in circles, for what seemed like forever. That experience gave me a very healthy fear of going out on treacherous roads. Thanks for the driving tips–I am sure that we can all benefit from it. We, here in Portland, are just now recovering from a horrible storm–290,000 electrical customers were without power, including my home, in 13,000 different incidents. My brother is still without electricity after 3.5 days. To Everyone, please drive safety, and use extreme caution during these storms.
I hear ‘ya…one bad driving experience can scar you for a long time. And PDX has plenty of hills, too.
Be safe!