Bad Winter Drivers --- An Open Letter

Okay, I know we already have a few "Blizzard" threads going, and the topic of bad winter drivers is a common theme here this time of year.

I guess I just need to vent. I am fed up with the ever-increasing number of Ass-Hats who feel inclined to set a personal-best time on their commute... IN A FREAKING BLIZZARD!!!

Guess what, people? I actually enjoy my life. I would really like to live until April to see what turning 45 feels like. You wanna kill yourself, fine. Start your vehicle and never leave your closed garage. Leave me and everyone else on the road out of the equation.

To the lady in the white Escalade in the left lane of I-75N this afternoon... Next time, for the love of God, DO NOT slam on your brakes when you hit black ice!!! Thankfully for those of us in the right lane, you over-corrected to the left, and simply buried yourself in the median. As I passed, I was thankful to see that this turn of events had zero impact on your phone coversation.

To the guy 5 miles later, in the Yukon Denali... Obviously, you posess better skills behind the wheel than everyone else on the highway, and you are clearly driving the only vehicle ever produced that is immune to the laws of physics. Still, if you hadn't been going 70mph, you would not have had to hit the brakes when you saw the state trooper in the median. Again, black ice.

Unfortunately, you over-corrected to the right, and damn near took-out a minivan on your way off the road.

But you weren't done yet, were you? Nope. As the rest of us were gathering our wits and keeping out of each other's way, you decided that "I gots me a Denali, I can get back on the highway!!!" And you did just that, fine sir. After coming to a complete stop, you shot up the little hill, across the shoulder,across the right lane, and back into the left lane. And you did all of this while leaving me almost 10 feet between the nose of my Miata and your running-board. Well played.

It was quite unfortunate that you buried it big-time 10-seconds later, before the state trooper who caused your whole mess could even figure out what the Hell was going on.

And finally, to a certain douche-bag co-worker... You spent 15 minutes in the parking lot after work telling me "Dude, no way you're makin' it home tonight in that stupid-ass little car, you'll kill yourself. We shut down 2 hours early, so we're all going bar-hopping. You can crash at my place." Uh, no thanx. I just want to go home.

And despite a couple other "Bunny-Nose" sphincter moments, me and the Miata successfully completed our 27-mile commute thru the storm... The second half of which featured the wonders of near-zero visibility and horizontal sleet and freezing rain.

And the co-worker??? Less than a half mile from work, he spun-out directly in front of me on the entrance ramp to I-75, went off the road, and beached his Jeep Commander at the bottom of the hill.

Sorry for the rant. Just happy to be home with my cat curled up on my lap... Gotta get up tomorrow and do it all over again. And for some reason, I don't think that's going to be enough time for alot of people to figure this E36 M3 out.

Escalade, Denali, Commander.
Have you seen the sticker prices on these SUV's?
Clearly each owner has bought the best SUV they possibly can, how could they have any problems?

Seems to me that the owners all traveled pretty worry-free. You on the other hand had to be all slow and worried.

Please keep up the good work at the factory that makes the world a safer place.

Though as one who has the audacity to equip his vehicles with real snow tires, and does know how to drive in the snow and the ice, even on my motorcycles, I wish the non-drivers would please get the heck out of the way.

To the gent in the Caddy this morning. I'm sure you feel quite smug about protecting the world against competent drivers. Doing 30 in the left lane of the interstate. I greatly appreciate your violent lane changes to stay in front of me when I would attempt to pass you. I'm sorry I finally out maneuvered you and was able to go back to driving peacefully.

As well the rest of you entertaining snow bunnies. With your windshield wipers on high, high beams on, nose pressed against the windshield, eyes bugged out, driving 20 miles an hour in two and three lanes of highway all at the same time.

4WD gives poor drivers too much confidence. I have said it before, I'll say it again. Sure your truck or SUV has 4WD, but that doesn't mean you know how to use it properly. It is an aid to assist acceleration on slippery or loose surfaces, not braking on those said surfaces. Do you know what the difference is between Part-Time or Full-Time 4WD is? Probably not. Do you even know what 4Lo is for? Have you ever used it?

4WD IS NOT A BAND-AID!

I have a friend who has a Miata as a DD here in Connecticut. The only time he has had a problem with snow etc. is when he has been caught in an unexpected storm with summer performance tires still mounted. With winter tires, the car has gotten him around without fail since he bought it new in '96. Here is a recent photo of his odometer:

I still refuse to give up my XJ, though.

Nothing is better than driving by someone in a ditch who was sure you'd never make it home in your little E36 M3box. So what if it has snow tires, SUVs all have four wheel drive!

Yea, I honk and wave as I go by. And then keep going. Their four wheel drive can call a tow truck for them.

Superior equipment will not cover for inferior skill.

I passed 2 SUV's spun out in the ice on the way home last night.

Fortunately, it seemed like most people either stayed home or waited for delayed openings this morning (and most area schools are closed), so my commute this morning was actually fun... I love driving in conditions like this. The crappier, the better.

(TDI wagon w/ snow tires. My 4WD truck is still covered in snow at home)

took 20 min longer to get to work, but thankfully, most morons decided that they wanted the day off.

So I had a work truck, but drove it like my Miata, and got to work safe and sound, just like the few others I shared the road with.

i'm so glad the idiots stayed home.

In reply to alfadriver:

I took the Miata. Snow tires rule.

CGLockRacer wrote: In reply to alfadriver: I took the Miata. Snow tires rule.

My Miata was left in the lot here at work- had I not needed to drive the truck- I would have had it. Love that car in the snow.

And I would not have had any problems this morning with it. But miles needed to be put on.....

(for this "storm"- my biggest worry was that the Miata would have gotten crushed by idiot lot plowers. Thankfully, barely any snow fell, and the car is very obvious)

In reply to alfadriver:

My car is white....luckily the hardtop is black. I did put air horns on for those idiots though

It's interesting that 95% of the cars i saw off the road had 4wd or AWD.

Also interesting that less than half of the people are at work with me today.

Yet... i made it in driving a ratty Escort with crappy bald All-Season tires. It's not what you drive, it's how you drive it.

Sure, i could only get in the passenger door. Sure, the plastic windshield cowl is shattered. Sure, i destroyed the wire going to the radar detector. But dammit, i'm here.

^ That. I have owned precisely one set of snow tires in my entire life, and that was for a portion of last winter when I was actually down to having to DD my ms3 in the snow. I've yet to have a problem in the snow, be it in the wife's MINI, or any of my assorted beatermobiles, and aside from the MINI, none of them have ever had good, or even matching tires. I think I have 4 different manufacturers on my Taurus.

That said, i DO wish i had gotten off my ass and re-connected the E-Brake cable.

My brother was in Vail for a few years, and he said that the SUVs were the worst cars out there. People rented them to go skiing and thought they were invincible and always ended up on their roofs. The locals drove Subaru wagons and took it easy and never had any problems.

One note on more modern vehicles- I have found that the now required traction/stability control works pretty darned well. Very impressive.

But it does help as if I was driving my Miata- which is to keep as far away from other drivers as possible. I don't want to spook the lifted PU driver by passing him too quickly....

I'm just sad I don't have a capable vehicle to be out playing in this stuff.

no snow/ice here yet, but rolling blackouts across the state. came in to work to no power until about 9:15.

we're supposed to have snow/sleet/ice tomorrow night and friday morning.

alfadriver wrote: took 20 min longer to get to work, but thankfully, most morons decided that they wanted the day off. So I had a work truck, but drove it like my Miata, and got to work safe and sound, just like the few others I shared the road with. i'm so glad the idiots stayed home.

lump me in with the morons. i looked out the window at 5AM, saw about 5" of snow and went back to bed!

Angry I get that, that's why I stayed another day in Daytona Beach

I don't know about being a moron, but I've certainly matured into a snow sissy (our pet term at work).

When there's several inches of snow on the road, I stay home. I've got the leave time, and use it accordingly.

So I go back to bed, get up late, make snowmen, leasurely shovel the driveway, sled with my boy, make cookies, etc.

AngryCorvair wrote:

alfadriver wrote: took 20 min longer to get to work, but thankfully, most morons decided that they wanted the day off. So I had a work truck, but drove it like my Miata, and got to work safe and sound, just like the few others I shared the road with. i'm so glad the idiots stayed home.

lump me in with the morons. i looked out the window at 5AM, saw about 5" of snow and went back to bed!

You do remember that you are actually from this state, right?

It's not as if we got 15"- a measly 5"... (we got 6 in A2).

And I didn't have a day to blow (and having a company truck would have made it more of a pain to stay).

BTW, I would not lump all of the non drivers morons- but the 5-10% morons who really could make a drive bad stayed home.

92CelicaHalfTrac wrote: That said, i DO wish i had gotten off my ass and re-connected the E-Brake cable.

That's what left-foot braking is for!

92CelicaHalfTrac wrote: That said, i DO wish i had gotten off my ass and re-connected the E-Brake cable.

This FWD drift brought to you by E-brake

Next time you gotta drift your modern day economy car, remember E-brake - for all your non-rear-wheel powered dorifto needs!