Terrible scene. Atlanta snow then instant ice rink.

wbjones wrote: you don't get it do you ???? these folk can't prepare for something that they don't understand, have anyway to practice for, see every 3 - 4 YRS …

But they do see it more often. Sure this is a bad one, maybe worse than the one 2 years ago. But thehy still see snow and some ice almost every winter at least once.

Last time I was down in Atlanta visiting relatives it snowed. Just a little, but it snowed. I volunteered to go to the store since everybody else thought the snow covered road was a death sentence. On the ride there, I saw exactly two other drivers. A big jacked up 4 wheel drive redneck truck and a front drive Mazda 323. The guy in the truck was driving like a grandma on her first driving lesson and the Mazda was driving slow but reasonable. On the return trip, both the truck and the Mazda were in a ditch. And yes, when the roads ice up down south, it is a problem. Roads that have never seen salt don't react well with ice and freezing rain. We got 3 inches this morning and they didn't even bother to plow. The sun will come out, and between the traffic and the road salt, it will be gone by lunch time. I have sympathy for you Atlanta drivers, but I can't muster any for the folks in LA that have gridlock every time it rains. Jimmy Kimmel makes fun of LA rain event. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIMJBaoKz24

aussiesmg wrote: I think I may have poked too hard lol We understand you are unprepared, why is that, you went through this a couple of years ago. bumble-berkeley Ohio is prepared. So who is bumble-berkeleyed now

come on Steve … Atlanta doesn't have a gazzillion tons of sand/salt mix ready for every 4th yr use, nor do they have several hundred plows .. the money to buy and maintain that stuff gets spent for other things (I'm not saying it's better spent … just spent for other things)

where you live, weather like this is a regular fact of life … Atlanta .. every 3 - 4 yrs …

Bobzilla wrote:

wbjones wrote:

Bobzilla wrote:

wbjones wrote: all you guys that are able to get around on ice are actually incredibly gifted drivers … so good in fact that you put most, if not all, pro racing drivers to shame… but most of your typical southern drivers don't have your mad skills, and even more have seldom/never had to develop those skills … so it would be nice if you'd sorta tone down the condescending tone of the posts … realizing that most folk down here are more interested in making it home in less than 10 hrs, than hearing about how great a driver you are

Then they should adjust their driving style. This ain't rocket surgery.

again with the condescending attitude … most of these folk can't adjust their driving style, because they have not a clue as to what needs to be done … they see the snow/freezing rain start and they panic …. gotta get home …. the schools call and say come get your kid…. as of late yesterday afternoon, there were literally thousands of kids either, spending the night at their school or stuck on the side of the road in wrecked school busses … we get how great you are … how 'bout you accept the fact that others aren't that fantastic

And who's fault is it they're not prepared? They had a massive ice storm two years ago that was a "once in a generation" storm. Snow last year. Is it as frequent as the north? No. Does it happen there every year? Yes.

If i only had sex that often, i'd still be pretty bad at it.

wbjones wrote: you don't get it do you ???? these folk can't prepare for something that they don't understand, have anyway to practice for, see every 3 - 4 YRS …

I get it. However, when I lived in SC, hurricanes were a new thing for me. That didn't mean that I didn't have my car gassed up, food with me in the house (that didn't need electricity to cook), bottled water, flashlights, a lighter, a first aid kit, and a charged cell phone.

These are basically the same things you need for ANY weather issue.

I am not saying that these things would prevent any bad driving, or prevent accidents. It would help those involved in the accidents and incidents SURVIVE the accident or incident.

Rob R.

Bobzilla wrote:

93EXCivic wrote: You know I am 25 and I have driven in snow once in my life...

And? That keeps you from driving slowly, carefully and aware how?

Doesn't. I am just saying that plenty of people aren't used to it.

In reply to Bobzilla:

I was prepared. My wife was as well. We both still got to deal with it anyway. She even got to drop trou on the freeway... LOL.

It's fine to make fun of it and armchair quarterback (from places able to deal with ice and snow). Hotlanta clearly can't ...

So just expect that it may strike a nerve for those who are still trying to get home from work yesterday, or get their kids home from skool.

Cool side story: got my GRM t-shirt Monday.

wbjones wrote:

aussiesmg wrote: I think I may have poked too hard lol We understand you are unprepared, why is that, you went through this a couple of years ago. bumble-berkeley Ohio is prepared. So who is bumble-berkeleyed now

come on Steve … Atlanta doesn't have a gazzillion tons of sand/salt mix ready for every 4th yr use, nor do they have several hundred plows .. the money to buy and maintain that stuff gets spent for other things (I'm not saying it's better spent … just spent for other things) where you live, weather like this is a regular fact of life … Atlanta .. every 3 - 4 yrs …

That's not true either: http://www.wfxg.com/story/24560292/atlanta-prepared-for-ice-snow-after-learning-from-past

40 plow truck and 30 sand trucks is quite a bit for 200 miles of roads.

In reply to wbjones: I am just responding to the comment insinuating Ohio is backwater, yet our small towns can be prepared, but the BIG city of Atlanta cannot keep a few salt trucks and a few piles of snow available.

I come from a big city, I know how much money is available, there is no way that a few key locations couldn't have some salt under tarps and a few trucks set up for multi use.

At least keep the highways and major routes treated

Every 3 or 4 years serious icing would appear to be a fact of life.

The fault is with the Governments who ignore the preparation which should be mandatory in a city of this size.

Surely that is one of the things that you vote for. Keep it in mind at the next election.

My .02c

aussiesmg wrote:

93EXCivic wrote: You know I am 25 and I have driven in snow once in my life...

I moved to Ohio at 37, from Australia.

Haha. Got me beat.

aussiesmg wrote: In reply to wbjones: I am just responding to the comment insinuating Ohio is backwater, yet our small towns can be prepared, but the BIG city of Atlanta cannot keep a few salt trucks and a few piles of snow available. I come from a big city, I know how much money is available, there is no way that a few key locations couldn't have some salt under tarps and a few trucks set up for multi use. At least keep the highways and major routes treated Every 3 or 4 years serious icing would appear to be a fact of life. The fault is with the Governments who ignore the preparation which should be mandatory in a city of this size. Surely that is one of the things that you vote for. Keep it in mind at the next election. My .02c

This is very true

93EXCivic wrote:

aussiesmg wrote:

93EXCivic wrote: You know I am 25 and I have driven in snow once in my life...

I moved to Ohio at 37, from Australia.

Haha. Got me beat.

Practice when you get a chance. It is a different experience, it clicked for me the 1st time the rear stepped out, it was like on track when you take that turn with the rear end oversteering and you hold it. It is just like that at much lower speed.

You also pay your cops to check that vehicles are safe, why are there so many cars with unsafe tires.

Roadworthy checks for tires might be worth enforcing.

Your tax dollars, means you {should} get a say on how they are spent, go to a council meeting.

In reply to aussiesmg:

In Missouri, as long as there is tread and no wires poking through, the car is "safe".

2 comments I read elsewhere, which I enjoyed...

"why do they you just shoot the snow"

LOL

"You wouldn't throw an adult who has never swam before into 20 ft. of water and expect them to suddenly swim gracefully (or at all) and this situation is no different."

.. See Jalopnik still has some entertainment value

In reply to OHSCrifle:

In my isolated case I did exactly that, moved to Ohio at 37 and started a transportation company.

I'd love to hear the explanation of how one can put down sand/salt, when its gridlocked. The roads are solid ice at this point, with cars on top of it. Yes, everyone shouldn't have rushed out at the exact same time. They did. So explain to me how you are going to use these ken block driving skills to get around 60 miles of gridlock?

At this point, driving skills mean jack.

So, if I rarely leave St Louis, am I "staying in the shallow end"?

My uncle made it back to Decatur from the north suburbs last night. He is from Indiana though, so obviously his opinion on ATL's driving populace would be incorrect. FWIW, he made it with a fusion on summer tires.

In reply to lnlogauge:

Use the trucks before the storm hits. If it is so infrequent that storms do happen, it wouldn't be a waste to put the material down if you think a storm might happen.

In reply to wvumtnbkr:

Sand/salt doesnt last forever. Its 13 degrees out. They did start early, but then the trucks couldnt move. This didnt start out as a driving problem. It started out as the worst possible traffic jam, with some salt trucks thrown in.

show me where a plow truck can go?

lnlogauge wrote: I'd love to hear the explanation of how one can put down sand/salt, when its gridlocked. The roads are solid ice at this point, with cars on top of it. Yes, everyone shouldn't have rushed out at the exact same time. They did. So explain to me how you are going to use these ken block driving skills to get around 60 miles of gridlock? At this point, driving skills mean jack.

*There are several options: Change your leave time. Either stay later, or leave earlier.

*Keep an eye on the traffic cams/websites to see what is already blocked etc. Find alternate routes as necessary.

*on the alt routes, slow down. Expect to not be able to have any traction at any time. This will make good use of the little traction you can find.

*be prepared. HAve extra clothes, a bottle of water and some kind of granola or similar non-perishable food item and make sure you fill the car with fuel in case the previous options don't work.

*Keep your car maintained. Good tires, running right, lights working etc. When you stop for fuel, clean off your headlights/taillights so others can see them.

*Be aware of what is going on around you. If others are getting off the interstate, there's likely a reason.

If you notice, only one of these has anything to do with actually driving. It's about being prepared for any type of bad weather.

In reply to lnlogauge:

I don't know where they could fit in that pic.

They seem to have it figured out everywhere else that it snows. Maybe start earlier.

Around here (the horrible shiny happy person north), if they think it will snow or ice tomorrow, they put the salt down today / tonight.

In reply to lnlogauge:

Up here they treat the roads with liquid salt days in advance of snow storms.

Edit: It should also be pointed out that Atlanta highways look like that during heavy rain as well....