It's only a bit of snow - grow up!

[Apache]

Guys, pardon my rant. still got the flu, but I am sick and tired of all this fuss with a bit of snow.

The news and radio are giving doom and gloom about only travelling if your journey is absolutely necessary. My view is they should say carry on as normal and take care!

It's not hard to drive in snow, you just require a little extra time and some preparation. Decent tyres [any one other than vets have a second set of snow tyres?] plenty of fuel [if you get stuck car keeps you warm and alive] a shovel [decent metal one, not a plastic pretend one] maybe a bag of grit/rock salt or some old carpet for traction [you can use your footmats, but you then have to stop to recover them, old carpet can be left]. Make sure you have a rope in the car [just in case] and some warm clothes, maybe a blanket and some food and a flask.

Very simply we can't close up shop. There was not a day I couldn't get to work within 5 minutes of my normal start time, never failed to attend a call.

You can go quite fast in a straight line, just take care whilst cornering and going down hill. Pick a gear and stick to it. When going downhill you may touch your break gently on the straights, but NEVER whilst cornering.

The biggest risk seems to be other drivers who think that 1st gear and 4000 revs is ideal to start off on a slippy road headbang . Remember to increase separation distances.

Don't know if anyone saw an episode of the 'Tonight' programme a few weeks ago and they were talking to a Scandinavian couple, who thought we were daft the way we let snow dominate our lives. Their airport had NEVER closed due to the weather. The reporter asked 'what would happen if you kept your kids off school due to snow', they said they would get a visit from social services!

Grow up people, it's just a bit of snow. Life goes on.

 

[switch10]

well said. every time theres snow in cheltenham, i get calls to say oh dont come today etc etc, as the weathers to bad, however as you state, if you drive sensibly and prepare then theres no reason people cant carry on with there every day life.

 

[Sidewinder]

I did over 100 miles today during the worst of it, I had no problems other than those caused by other drivers!

 

[Bwy]

I think there is a big difference between UK and Scandinavia.

The first difference is that they are used to heavy snow falls ....we are not.

They also need and have the equipment which they have developed and built up over years of experience. We do not really need such equipment as our heavy snow falls are rare so developing equipment like Scandinavia would be a waste of money.

Our "heavy" snow falls are few and far between so we do not learn how to handle a car in such conditions and before anyone screams ....it is NOT just common sense there is a skill to it.

I agree with the media who say "only travelling if your journey is absolutely necessary" but surely this is "common sense" and we all know that "common sense" is at times not too common.

I agree that a car can actually go quite fast in a straight line and we see it all the time in my area. We also see the children being put in an ambulance when the driver with "common sense" could not stop in time even at 10 MPH.

For the inexperienced people, and by that I mean those not used to heavy snow falls, snow is just downright dangerous and should be treated with respect.

I have lived in Norway and Germany and have experienced the snow conditions which would close this country down for ever but we do not have those conditions here so we do not learn how to handle it.

As far as I am concerned if ONE life is saved by staying at home or driving at snails pace then DO IT, you will lose time a person killed loses a lot more.

 

[Apache]

Our "heavy" snow falls are few and far between so we do not learn how to handle a car in such conditions and before anyone screams ....it is NOT just common sense there is a skill to it.I agree with the media who say "only travelling if your journey is absolutely necessary" but surely this is "common sense" and we all know that "common sense" is at times not too common.

I agree that a car can actually go quite fast in a straight line and we see it all the time in my area. We also see the children being put in an ambulance when the driver with "common sense" could not stop in time even at 10 MPH.

For the inexperienced people, and by that I mean those not used to heavy snow falls, snow is just downright dangerous and should be treated with respect.

As far as I am concerned if ONE life is saved by staying at home or driving at snails pace then DO IT, you will lose time a person killed loses a lot more.

You are more dangerous driving stupidly slow. You NEED momentum especially if the road is slippy or you are going up hill.

HOW do people build up driving experience in snow if they skive off work and don't drive in it.

It is 90% common sense, I can find a hundred links with advice for driving in snow. All it is is basic physics. I can find you some tips if you like?

 

[Bwy]

You are more dangerous driving stupidly slow. You NEED momentum especially if the road is slippy or you are going up hill.HOW do people build up driving experience in snow if they skive off work and don't drive in it.

It is 90% common sense, I can find a hundred links with advice for driving in snow. All it is is basic physics. I can find you some tips if you like?

As I said.....common sense is not too common !!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Andy™]

so far ive only cancelled one job - since there was no way i was driving to aberdeen and back the other week (all main routes were shut the day i was supposed to go). apart from that, business as usual

i have chains & a shovel in the van. never got stuck yet that the chains havent been able to get out of.

take your time and you should be OK. obviously allow extra braking time and dont brake or accelerate too hard. too many people who pull away too fast and end up slipping through their stupidity, or braking too hard too late

also, anyone who doesnt remove all snow from their vehicle (high vehicle roof excepted) should be banned from driving. and its usually the same drivers who complain the council havent cleared the roads. even through there the ones dumping extra snow on it

 

[Bwy]

[quote name='Andy

 

[Badger]

The thing is common sense doesn't prevail and drivers who cant drive in the snow DO !Or at least round my way they do !!

Last snow last year i took the week off as we were not busy and i didnt want my van written off by an idiot in the snow.....

Snow a few weeks back and i was on a course i had to get to, driving down the motorway in the only lane passable at 30mph and traffic was going past me in the fast lane in all the slush at 50mph going sideways........

And whilst i am sensible and can drive in the snow and am prepared, generally i don't, i stay at home and do snowmen with the kids, its safer and my vehicle(s) stay undamaged :worship

i know what you mean, the roads round here are quite icey, and so ive been staying at home because there are so many idiots racing around, ive been out a few times today taking quotes and bit of shopping, and generally im fine about driving in snow, i learnt from a early driving age/experience from my mum who learnt off my uncle who is an ex driving instructor. so know about using low gears, and using the engine to slow down, but in our roads its really slippery

 

[batty]

Pache I thought you have a four wheel drive so really you should not comment on how other people drive. Now I have been driving for over 25 years so have seen quite a few winters. In that time I have had a lot of vehicles driving electric milk floats, vans and cars. The problem is some vehicles do not perform well in snow and ice. Rear wheel drive cars do not perform well and my current twin wheel transit van will go no where if there is packed ice under the snow. The three arctic lorries that blocked the motorway in wales I would imagine are experienced drivers but unfortunately if there is ice under the snow sometimes you will go no where. I agree we should try to carry on but sometimes it maybe better off staying at home and saving a life because snow and ice can kill people.

 

[Andy™]

Thank you for this you prove my point.When conditions become so bad you cancelled a job and THAT is fair enough.

that doesnt prove the point. aberdeen is about 280 miles away. the job was driving someone else's van. and he doesnt have chains. if it was my van, i would have got on with it. also, my dad does a lot of driving. he was back and forward to france as normal. snow slowed things down a little, but he got on with it. just most other drivers out there.

you cant just shut down the country because of a little snow. other countries get it all year round and dont have any problems. and they probably dont grit the roads either (only clear the bulk of it away)

 

[Bwy]

Pache I thought you have a four wheel drive so really you should not comment on how other people drive. Now I have been driving for over 25 years so have seen quite a few winters. In that time I have had a lot of vehicles driving electric milk floats, vans and cars. The problem is some vehicles do not perform well in snow and ice. Rear wheel drive cars do not perform well and my current twin wheel transit van will go no where if there is packed ice under the snow. The three arctic lorries that blocked the motorway in wales I would imagine are experienced drivers but unfortunately if there is ice under the snow sometimes you will go no where. I agree we should try to carry on but sometimes it maybe better off staying at home and saving a life because snow and ice can kill people.

I :Salute you sir....well said :Applaud

 

[Apache]

Pache I thought you have a four wheel drive so really you should not comment on how other people drive. Now I have been driving for over 25 years so have seen quite a few winters. In that time I have had a lot of vehicles driving electric milk floats, vans and cars. The problem is some vehicles do not perform well in snow and ice. Rear wheel drive cars do not perform well and my current twin wheel transit van will go no where if there is packed ice under the snow. The three arctic lorries that blocked the motorway in wales I would imagine are experienced drivers but unfortunately if there is ice under the snow sometimes you will go no where. I agree we should try to carry on but sometimes it maybe better off staying at home and saving a life because snow and ice can kill people.

I spent a lot of time driving a 2 wheel drive Rover Metro with no bother. Two of my colleagues drive 2 wheel drive vehicles, one being my girlfriend, and her van is fine with snow tyres. Our own car is a 2 wheel drive Polo. I do drive a 4X4 now.

Have you seen Ice Road Truckers? They seem to travel very well on packed ice and snow, only using chains for the steepest of hills.

Snow doesn't kill people, just like guns don't!

 

[Bwy]

Correct.....snow does not kill people.....

Inexperience does.......

I don't see a lot of snow around in the photographs but perhaps they thought they could drive fast in a straight line huh ?????

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[Apache]

Your pics are irrelevant as they are not even from the UK!

Yes people can crash, but like almost every crash, it's due to driver error.

Maybe there should be more theory on this in the driving test?

 

[Andy™]

bwy - from those pics, its hard to tell what caused the accident. anything to back up your claim? maybe they lost control after a mechanical failure of the car (i.e blowout, loss of steering etc). im sure i could find any pic of a mangled car on the net and claim it was through inexperience

 

[batty]

As I said Pache most rear wheel drive vehicles do not handle very well in the snow. Down south we don't tend to get much snow well we haven't for quite a few years. If we were likely to get months of it I would invest in snow tyres but hopefully we won't. As you say its about being prepared but life's a struggle without spending hundreds on getting prepared for snow that may only last a few weeks.

 

[Bwy]

Your pics are irrelevant as they are not even from the UK!Yes people can crash, but like almost every crash, it's due to driver error.

Maybe there should be more theory on this in the driving test?

How can you say they are irrelevant just because they are not from UK ???

Surely, the country where those pictures were taken have a lot more snow than UK therefore I would expect the drivers to be more proficient in snow driving.

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The earliest widespread snowfall for 17 years has begun to grip Scotland and many parts of the UK, causing road accidents and some schools to close.

Up to 10cm of snow settled in the north-east of the country overnight, as James Cook reports from Aberdeenshire.

I was going to post more photographs of accidents but decided against it as the people were dead anyway so it didn't matter !!!! :red card

 

[Apache]

As I said Pache most rear wheel drive vehicles do not handle very well in the snow. Down south we don't tend to get much snow well we haven't for quite a few years. If we were likely to get months of it I would invest in snow tyres but hopefully we won't. As you say its about being prepared but life's a struggle without spending hundreds on getting prepared for snow that may only last a few weeks.

Yes but unless you have a BMW or a sports car the vast majority of cars now front wheel drive. You can always add a few bags of sand in the boot of a rear wheel drive car for increased traction.

 

[sellers]

our mx5 isn't too clever in the snow, not sure if the lsd makes it worse or better.

the vans a star though. I love the snow, would love it to get some more here. Makes the drive to work more of a challange than the usual mundane drive.