Living Car Free - #$%#&* winter drivers can't handle snow and ice!!

I'm talking about myself. I used to be a fantastic winter driver. I would ride through any snowstorm, and even in an ice storm. No more. I drive so little now that my skills seem to have vanished.

The other day I was driving my dad home from a doctor appointment. I got the car stuck in the greasy snow that the plow had thrown into the mouth of our alley. I kept trying to drive it out, but I definitely have lost the knack. I was blocking most of the street. A fire truck pulled up and was waiting for me to get out of the way. Two firemen jumped out of the truck. I thought they were going to read me the riot act for blocking an emergency vehicle. But they just leaned on the hood and pushed me out of the snow.

I was grateful, but it was also pretty embarrassing. :o

How about you? Do you ever worry that you're losing your driving skills?

I thought I had lost all driving skills. For the last couple years, I've been avoiding driving whenever possible.

Then, recently, my glasses prescription got out of wack. I was wearing an old pair of plain glasses waiting for the new ones to come in. I discovered that the biggest reason I couldn't drive was because of my bifocals - I couldn't see where I was going or what was coming at me. Crazy no-line bifocals - you can only see directly in front of you out of tiny portions of the lenses. Didn't realize it until I had to drive wearing the old single-vision lenses.

Still, I'd be perfectly happy not driving to the point where I completely forget how. Unfortunately, it seems to be like riding a bike - you never really forget. You just get a little rusty.

Here it is parallel parking. My suburban friends can't handle it. Often when they come to the city they ask me to park. I still have the knack. "You can't park there. There isn't enough room. " "Let me try and see, if I can't I can't." "Wow, you got it in!". Last week a suburban co-worker asked me to drive. She hid her face in her hands thinking I was going to smash her new mini-van( $300/mo gasoline bill.) I did it without a touch. But for snow, this Florida boy is paranoid. When I had a car, I'd take it to an iced up parking lot and practice and get the feel of the handling during the first snowstorm. I got the "turn with the skid" thing, and the rocking motion to get unstuck is similar to what you do in loose sand at the beach. I never learned any subtler aspects of snow driving. Oh, yeah. I remember carrying a bag of sand with me. Sometimes on icy hills I'd go sprinkle sand and get people going.

I'm only car-lite (drive 1 day/week on average), so I haven't lost the knack for driving in the snow and ice. What's mind boggling to me is how many people who drive every day can't handle the snow, even in a well-equipped and snow capable vehicle.
I have rescue straps and tow cables/chains in my Jeep, along with the standard rack of backcountry SaR rescue gear (shovels, hi-lift jack, etc.) so I spent a lot of time during the last snowstorm helping tow people out from ditches and off of snowbanks they'd get high-bottomed on.
It amazed me how many of these people were in AWD sedans! I'm going out on a limb, and guessing that many of these people were going way too fast for the conditions on the belief that AWD == Invincibility. Even more baffling were the lifted, mudder-tire 4WD trucks which I saw abandoned in the shoulder on some of the hills near my house.

I thought I had lost all driving skills. For the last couple years, I've been avoiding driving whenever possible.

Then, recently, my glasses prescription got out of wack. I was wearing an old pair of plain glasses waiting for the new ones to come in. I discovered that the biggest reason I couldn't drive was because of my bifocals - I couldn't see where I was going or what was coming at me. Crazy no-line bifocals - you can only see directly in front of you out of tiny portions of the lenses. Didn't realize it until I had to drive wearing the old single-vision lenses.

I have the opposite problem with my no-line bifocals--I can see at distances just fine, but they don't work very well for reading. One feature I tried for the first time was nonreflective coating. It's expensive, but well worth it to me. Not only do they look nicer, I geet much less glare when riding at night. I do a lot of cycling at night (especially in winter) so this is a good feature for me.


Still, I'd be perfectly happy not driving to the point where I completely forget how. Unfortunately, it seems to be like riding a bike - you never really forget. You just get a little rusty.

That's hilarious! :D Driving is like riding a bike. That's nice to know...but I hope I never have to get real good at it again.

What's the snow situation in Lansing? Are you riding through the winter? I've been in Traverse City for a couple weeks. We've been getting snow almost every day--76 inches so far with no melting. The last couple days were warmer (low 20s) and a respite from the snow. I'll be on the Greyhound back to Lansing on Sunday.

But for snow, this Florida boy is paranoid. When I had a car, I'd take it to an iced up parking lot and practice and get the feel of the handling during the first snowstorm. I got the "turn with the skid" thing, and the rocking motion to get unstuck is similar to what you do in loose sand at the beach. I never learned any subtler aspects of snow driving. Oh, yeah. I remember carrying a bag of sand with me. Sometimes on icy hills I'd go sprinkle sand and get people going.

I do remember that sand (or kitty litter) under the tires will work on ice, but not so well on deep snow. If you get stuck in deep snow you need a shovel--or a couple of strong firemen. ;)

I ran into trouble because I drove the car like a bike. On a bike, I go into a low gear and take it "slow but strong" through a patch of deep churned snow. I did that by habit with the car. Now I remember that I should have done nearly the opposite. I should have gunned the accelerator going into the snow, and gone through in a controlled skid.

Oh well, live and learn--or, in this case, relearn.

My car has snow tires.

The funny thing is, I left them on all last year because I was riding so much that I didn't feel like taking the time to swap the summer wheels back on.

But anyway, yeah, I'm a darned good winter driver. Delivering pizzas in the Great Plains kinda forced me to learn.

What's the snow situation in Lansing? Are you riding through the winter? I've been in Traverse City for a couple weeks. We've been getting snow almost every day--76 inches so far with no melting. The last couple days were warmer (low 20s) and a respite from the snow. I'll be on the Greyhound back to Lansing on Sunday.

We've got snow. Plenty of snow. Not 1978 snow, but still, pretty good piles. It's been bitterly cold the last week or so, so the snow hasn't been melting, although it's supposed to get all the way up to 34F tomorrow, so there might be a smidge less on Saturday. The main streets are decent, but the city is saving $$ this season by not plowing as much/as often/using less salt/not plowing non-main streets. I'm all for saving the budget and like the idea of not spreading a foot-deep salt pile on the roads every time we get a little flake falling from the sky, but the lack of attention on the streets sure makes getting around on a bike a challenge. Yep, I'm riding through the winter, although I've discovered that the 3-speed I got as the winter bike doesn't brake as well [at all] when it's cold and/or wet. Still, since my alternative is usually to walk, I'd rather be cold on a bike than cold on my feet.

How's your injury? Will you be able to ride after you get back to Lansing?

We've got snow. Plenty of snow. Not 1978 snow, but still, pretty good piles. It's been bitterly cold the last week or so, so the snow hasn't been melting, although it's supposed to get all the way up to 34F tomorrow, so there might be a smidge less on Saturday. The main streets are decent, but the city is saving $$ this season by not plowing as much/as often/using less salt/not plowing non-main streets. I'm all for saving the budget and like the idea of not spreading a foot-deep salt pile on the roads every time we get a little flake falling from the sky, but the lack of attention on the streets sure makes getting around on a bike a challenge. Yep, I'm riding through the winter, although I've discovered that the 3-speed I got as the winter bike doesn't brake as well [at all] when it's cold and/or wet. Still, since my alternative is usually to walk, I'd rather be cold on a bike than cold on my feet.

How's your injury? Will you be able to ride after you get back to Lansing?

Sounds a little harder than last winter, which was also pretty hard. Here in Traverse City they scrape the side streets constantly. They're nice hard packed snow now--perfect for riding with studs--except where the snow is churned up in the intersections. One difference between the 2 cities-- the Lansing thaw is 34F and melting stuff; our TC thaw is 30F, which barely softens the snow. That four little degrees can make quite a difference.

One great thing about TC--the city plows the sidewalks right after it snows (IOW, almost every day) so walking is a good option if you can't ride.

I think I'll finally be able to ride some when I get back home--first time since Halloween. My evil landlord has been holding my bikes for ransom, but I think I'll be getting them back now.

It was 28 here today (no sun at all) and that was enough to soften things up nicely. I've been riding on tires with no grip at all, so it was much appreciated. Plus, there was a watermain break at Kalamazoo and MLK that threw water everywhere and combined with all the cars making detours around it, really made a mess out of my regular route when they dragged the snow from the side streets everywhere.

I've noticed the state is pretty obsessive about getting their sidewalks plowed around the government buildings downtown. I'm strictly a ride-on-the-road gal, but since my ride into work in the morning is at 6:30-7am long before there are any pedestrians wandering around out there, I've taken a few blocks on the sidewalk when they were plowed but the city trucks hadn't hit the roads yet.

Holding the bikes for ransom? How rude! That, and from what you've said in the other posts about the foreclosure makes him sound like a wonderful, warm human being.

Welcome back and have a great ride!

I thought I had lost all driving skills. For the last couple years, I've been avoiding driving whenever possible.

Then, recently, my glasses prescription got out of wack. I was wearing an old pair of plain glasses waiting for the new ones to come in. I discovered that the biggest reason I couldn't drive was because of my bifocals - I couldn't see where I was going or what was coming at me. Crazy no-line bifocals - you can only see directly in front of you out of tiny portions of the lenses. Didn't realize it until I had to drive wearing the old single-vision lenses.

Still, I'd be perfectly happy not driving to the point where I completely forget how. Unfortunately, it seems to be like riding a bike - you never really forget. You just get a little rusty.

No line bi-focals, or varifocals as they are know, come in many, many, different flavors. even with the same brand, there are several different ways of arranging the various regions of distance/near/transition areas. Any decent optician should ask you what you use your glasses for, what sort of activities you undertake, before deciding which type of lens to dispense. Even with that, some people don't get on with them.

As far as Winter driving is concerned, I am getting way, way, too much practice of late. Awareness, and understanding of the nature of grip and momentum, taking it easy and thinking ahead, those are some of the required skills. If in a rear drive car, extra weight over the drive wheels is very helpful, snow tires are worth their weight in gold, knowing how to deliver power smoothly and picking your way through varying surfaces to find the best options are all good things to practice. If you get it wrong, or are just unlucky with the weather, sometimes, some vehicles aren't getting through it without help, be it a shovel, sand or a tow.