What's So Damn Hard About Winter Driving?

[Aramike]

So it was a long day.

On my way home this morning, from meetings in Madison, some idiot driver in a 4WD SUV t-boned my car, totalling it and sending me to the hospital. Now my back's pretty screwed up.

Okay, yes - it was incredibly slick and snowy, as we just got our first storm of the year. That being said, how the HELL did someone think it was okay to be driving 40mph with no traction?

I overheard the guy telling the cops that he thought he could stop faster due to his 4WD. So let me clear up a myth for anyone who thinks like that - 4WD helps you get going. It does NOT help you stop faster.

Now the Vicodin's setting in, so more on this later. I just had to vent.

[Sailor Steve]

Geez, Mike, I'm sorry to hear that. I was hospitalized for an accident once, and once was enough.

On the other hand, the guy's comment to the cops...

Yeah, here in Salt Lake we see a lot of that too - people thinking that ice is the same as asphalt. Whooooops!!!

Back when I was driving skiers from the airport to the resorts, I was bringing a load down in a driving snowstorm. Twenty mph on the freeway. One guy kept ragging about how he was going to miss his flight. I held my temper, and was saved by another guy who finally said "Hey! I'd rather miss my flight and have to take a later one than not get there at all!

Here's hoping for a speedy recovery.

[ETR3(SS)]

Wow man hope you can get better soon. Vicodin is no joke, I lost a week of boot camp on that stuff. I live just south of Madison and they didn't even start plowing until midday. But I understand ya about winter driving, when I moved back here it seemed like everybody had forgot wth snow and ice are.

[CaptainHaplo]

Heal well and speedily my friend.

[Platapus]

FWD on ice just means that all four wheels are prone to sliding The traditional corrective actions that are used on two wheel drive vehicles are different in FWD vehicles.

Here in Virginia it is a real problem. People who don't understand physics buy these huge FWD SUVs and think they are invulnerable on ice. I have seen people driving on ice roads at 60+ MPH (and seen quite a few of them wipe out in front of me) (not a lot of sympathy from me)

The concepts of inertia, moment, and congruent resultant forces really needs to be understood by drivers in icy conditions.

And don't get me started with people texting while driving on ice.

[Task Force]

Hmm... sorry to hear about you and yer car...

around here... its rain... rain= PANIC!!! forget how to drive!!!

Your back? Any idea how serious it might be?

Road traffic is a frightening thing, just too much craziness going on all the time, not just when (surprise surprise) winter comes.

[Shearwater]

First of all, get well soon.

4WDs aren't as common over here, but I'm frequently pissed off by people who think they can save themselves the trouble of putting own snow tires hoping that it won't snow or freeze.
Thus jerks who can't drive turn into jerks who can't stop.

Originally Posted by Platapus

And don't get me started with people texting while driving on ice.

Another from me. Last New Year's Eve, I was together with a friend of mine and had a couple of beers. It was so slippery we almost couldn't walk (and foggy to boot). When he drove me home and saw that he'd got 14 text messages in the meantime, he simply took his cell phone and started replying. After about half a minute, I told him that this wasn't exactly the way I wanted to die

[nikimcbee]

Originally Posted by Aramike

So it was a long day.

On my way home this morning, from meetings in Madison, some idiot driver in a 4WD SUV t-boned my car, totalling it and sending me to the hospital. Now my back's pretty screwed up.

Okay, yes - it was incredibly slick and snowy, as we just got our first storm of the year. That being said, how the HELL did someone think it was okay to be driving 40mph with no traction?

I overheard the guy telling the cops that he thought he could stop faster due to his 4WD. So let me clear up a myth for anyone who thinks like that - 4WD helps you get going. It does NOT help you stop faster.

Now the Vicodin's setting in, so more on this later. I just had to vent.

Sorry to hear about your accident Mike. Hope you recover quickly! The person that hit you, did they have Kali-fornia plates? They are hands down the worst divers in bad weather, then you throw in the SUV factor. I had my driver's ed in MN in February, so I have little patience for people that can't drive in bad weather.
I think the most dangerous drivers in bad weather are: SUV+female or teenage male driver. I hate SUVs (or jacked up monster trucks) to begin with. I think they create a false sense on security of invulnerablity.

I could tell you all of my horror stories from last year. (here in or-gone) All of the cars that slid off the road that I saw were suvs or those large pickup trucks. This state has VERY limited snow capabilities, meaning the they only plow the highways and they don't salt (they use gravel). They do allow studded tires here, but they absolutely destroy the roads.

[Torvald Von Mansee]

Sorry to hear of your little incident, Mike. Ouch.

I don't understand what the hurry is in rainy/icy/snowy weather, while driving. You're in a comfy, climate controlled box w/a nice chair w/access to radio, and possibly drinks (but only when stopped!!). Well, unless you ABSOLUTELY must be somewhere by a certain time, but that would still be your fault for not budgeting enough time.

[nikimcbee]

I forgot to add, is your nurse hot?

[magic452]

Sorry to hear about you accident. Hope you get well soon and the back doesn't give you long lasting problems.

Seems that the first snow of the season is like that, everybody forgets how to drive on ice and I agree the 4WD's are the worst.

Get well soon

Magic

Most people are too stupid to know that they should be scared enough to exercise caution.
Just look at how the small cars try to get pushy with the big trucks.
(When compared to a semi, even SUVs are Small Stuff.)

A great many people seem to have lost their ability to THINK.

[TarJak]

Mike I'm sorry to hear about your accident. Hope you are on the road to recovery soon. (Pun intended).

Originally Posted by nikimcbee

I could tell you all of my horror stories from last year. (here in or-gone) All of the cars that slid off the road that I saw were suvs or those large pickup trucks.

That's just Darwin's theory in practise.

[UnderseaLcpl]

My list of people to keep in my prayers has been getting rather long as of late, but I think I can squeeze you in

I was originally going to try to post something funny to keep your spirits up, but then I remembered how much laughing hurt last time I was in the hospital. Since you apparently have a spinal injury, I assume that convulsions in your diaphragm are probably not the best form of therapy.

Fortunately, your cloud may indeed have a silver lining. Assuming that the police charged the person who hit you with reckless driving or reckless endangerment, you should have a solid civil case for seeking compensation for lost wages, medical expenses, insurance expenses, physical disability, and legal expenses. If you wanted to be a real bastard you could also seek compensation for a variety of mental stresses that could have presumably been caused by the accident, but I wouldn't recommend it. It's unethical, and you'd lose your shirt in legal fees. There is a good chance that the guy could go bankrupt paying for his defense alone, and you cannot squeeze water from a rock.

Whether the driver of the SUV was charged with anything or not, the best course of action might be to seek a reasonable settlement, and I have little doubt that any attorney you hire will reach the same conclusion. Have a care, however, when agreeing upon terms for a settlement. You're smart enough to know to be careful with such things, I am sure, but I'll state the point if only to remind you; Make absolutely sure that your attorney does not take more of your settlement than could be expected from his or her average hourly rates. Many attorneys will attempt to get you to agree upon a percentage before approaching the defendant's council. If you have a solid case that could net a great deal of compensation, that course of action could result in you receiving significantly less compensation than you are entitled to. My advice, in essence, is to shop around for the best deal on legal representation.

That said, we do not have an attorney-client relationship in any fashion, professional or unprofessional. I make no claim to having any capacity for giving legal advice as I am not a licensed member of the American Bar Association or any other licensed, accredited, or mandated legal institution. The remarks preceding this paragraph should be, in their entirety, regarded as being completely devoid of legal accountability and reasons presented therein should not be taken by anyone as sound legal council. Furthermore, these remarks are not intended to imply, suggest, or otherwise convey any form of legitimacy. These statements are intended to be evaluated for entertainment purposes only.

Get well soon, Mike