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Winter driving in the south

Clay Showalter

Southern member northern landowner
6,401
145
Guilford County
I normally agree that people are idiots when it comes to driving in the south. Tonight was not your typical snow, it was the perfect storm.

1. it wasn’t supposed to snow so there was not a lot of pretreatment done to the roads.

2. No one here has snow tires or studded tires, you can’t even buy them around here.

3. We have had temps in the 20’s in the day and close to 10 at night. So when the light snow started and it was driven on it melted enough to turn to ice so now we black ice everywhere. I don’t care who you are, without snow tires or studs you are screwed.

I was driving down the interstate laughing at people all in the ditches and cars flipped over, then I slid and was like damn this is ice.

 

"J"

Git Off My Lawn
Supporting Member
56,741
274
North Carolina
I had my time down there in snow and ice or even wet roads for that matter. It’s not fun when you’re coming up to an intersection and have the green light and you know some idiot is going thru it sideways and hopefully won’t take you out...
Remember slow and steady wins the race
 

giles

Cull buck specialist
Supporting Member
My laugh was not at you guys dealing with this. I’m sure it is no laughing matter and people are getting hurt. It was the timing of both of our post.
 

Clay Showalter

Southern member northern landowner
6,401
145
Guilford County
As crazy as it sounds snow fall of less than 1” is more dangerous than snow of 3”-6”, not enough snow to get traction but when it is cold enough snow to make ice.
 

"J"

Git Off My Lawn
Supporting Member
56,741
274
North Carolina
Talked to my son, he’s in Columbia and they had no snow, 45 minutes away at the base, they had 5” and they’re closed until Friday and possibly thru the weekend.
 

Bigcountry40

Member
4,555
127
LIved in the South for 7 years, I have to many stories about southerners and snow driving to remember. But "2009 christmas drive" takes the cake for me, right after being married on way back to Ohio, weekend before Christmas , we got caught in the snow storm of 09' on route 77 in NC, Virginia and WV. It took us 28 hours to get home, I got stopped by Virginia State troopers three times almost got arrested for arguing because they wouldn't let me through ( I found a back round and almost died). 77 looked like a scene off of War or Worlds, Independence Day, Walking Dead, etc. By hour 22 my black wiener dog had a mental break down in WV and started shaking uncontrollably. The pictures Phil posted were an understatement.
 

Clay Showalter

Southern member northern landowner
6,401
145
Guilford County
I think nothing can top this. This photo is real and it happened in Raleigh 3 years ago. Story is they spun the tires till they caught fire and boom whole car up in flames.

 

Jackalope

Dignitary Member
Staff member
38,841
260
The problem with snow in the south is not so much the drivers, people up here seem to be equally as bad on untreated snow-covered roads. The main problem is how massively unprepared the local resources are to deal with it. They do not have fleets of plow trucks and stockpiles of salt like northern states do. They do not have brine trucks where they can pre brine the roads to get a jump on it. Adding to the misery it is usually a very wet heavy snow that melts and refreezes to the road surface creating sheets of ice, I don't care how good someone thinks they are, driving on sheets of ice is a universal shit show. Even with plow and salt trucks galore here in Ohio drivers still usually make it a cluster fuck of a commute after a snow. Could you imagine if it snowed here and ODOT just said screw it and didn't plow or salt roadways, you'd think it was Atlanta.
 

Bigcountry40

Member
4,555
127
The problem with snow in the south is not so much the drivers, people up here seem to be equally as bad on untreated snow-covered roads. The main problem is how massively unprepared the local resources are to deal with it. They do not have fleets of plow trucks and stockpiles of salt like northern states do. They do not have brine trucks where they can pre brine the roads to get a jump on it. Adding to the misery it is usually a very wet heavy snow that melts and refreezes to the road surface creating sheets of ice, I don't care how good someone thinks they are, driving on sheets of ice is a universal shit show. Even with plow and salt trucks galore here in Ohio drivers still usually make it a cluster fuck of a commute after a snow. Could you imagine if it snowed here and ODOT just said screw it and didn't plow or salt roadways, you'd think it was Atlanta.

very true and well put, in SC city workers were dumping sand lmao
 

Bigcountry40

Member
4,555
127
I think nothing can top this. This photo is real and it happened in Raleigh 3 years ago. Story is they spun the tires till they caught fire and boom whole car up in flames.


minus the fire, exact same scene of 09 with jacked up semi's. thanks for giving me flashbacks
 

"J"

Git Off My Lawn
Supporting Member
56,741
274
North Carolina
The problem with snow in the south is not so much the drivers, people up here seem to be equally as bad on untreated snow-covered roads. The main problem is how massively unprepared the local resources are to deal with it. They do not have fleets of plow trucks and stockpiles of salt like northern states do. They do not have brine trucks where they can pre brine the roads to get a jump on it. Adding to the misery it is usually a very wet heavy snow that melts and refreezes to the road surface creating sheets of ice, I don't care how good someone thinks they are, driving on sheets of ice is a universal shit show. Even with plow and salt trucks galore here in Ohio drivers still usually make it a cluster fuck of a commute after a snow. Could you imagine if it snowed here and ODOT just said screw it and didn't plow or salt roadways, you'd think it was Atlanta.

True, but I lived in Columbus for a few years and they were pretty bad down there as well. Not saying we’re any better up here but we don’t have the volume of traffic or the large metro area of a Columbus or Dayton area either. Well until you get over there around canton and Akron areas. Listening to their radio stations they have their moments as well....
 

Jackalope

Dignitary Member
Staff member
38,841
260
True, but I lived in Columbus for a few years and they were pretty bad down there as well. Not saying we’re any better up here but we don’t have the volume of traffic or the large metro area of a Columbus or Dayton area either. Well until you get over there around canton and Akron areas. Listening to their radio stations they have their moments as well....
I've commuted 50 miles one way to Columbus for 10 years. I've seen it all. Lol.
 

"J"

Git Off My Lawn
Supporting Member
56,741
274
North Carolina
I've commuted 50 miles one way to Columbus for 10 years. I've seen it all. Lol.

I did 35 miles each way, from rural to suburban back to rural, there was always a stretch coming into Youngstown that would always raise the stress level on bad weather mornings and evening commutes... Nothing like adding a half hour to your drive because of idiots....
 

Bigcountry40

Member
4,555
127
My wife and I were alwaysfascinated by the grocery store hysteria, literally no milk or bread would be left over a potential 2 inches of snow!lmao