Midwest winter and driving

[Pathrat]

I am sitting here in my brother's living room in Madison WI, while my sister in law works and my nephew is asleep. It is snowing like crazy. When I walked up to the house, kids were outside, taking a sled somewhere, and they said hi and even commented on the weather. I forgot what it was like to have kids speak to strangers. I am staying a block away and on the way over, I was looking at what people had in their driveways. The vehicles of choice seem to be sedans, things like Corollas, some Subarus, Chevys, VW...there is one truck, a T100 across the street. The ice on the tree-lined neighborhood streets here does not melt. There is four inches of snow on the roads. What spurred this was the people eating breakfast at the B&B I am at expressing such joy over their hybrids. I asked how they did in the snow, and of course had to add that I liked my gas sucking pig that does not yet come in a diesel or a hybrid, and the people said 'oh great'. Compare this to Colorado where the predominant vehicle on the road is an SUV and the majority seem to have great difficulty driving in any amount of snow. Do people just understand winter driving better out here? Lots of snow tires? Anyone from the Midwest want to fill me in?

[Chris]

Yes, people just understand driving in snow & ice in the Midwest. I chuckle at Coloradans with their 4WD on whenever there's snow on the street. As a Minnesota transplant I'm used to driving in snow & ice with whatever 2WD I owned and rarely ever had a problem. Madison isn't that far from where I lived in the Twin Cities so there's not much difference.

When the snow that falls in October is still on the ground in April you don't have much choice. I can't remember ever getting stuck now that I think about it, it's just a matter anticipating what your car or truck will do and slipping and sliding is all part of it. My least favorite conditions were deep ruts in frozen streets, driving in ruts that didn't always go the direction you wanted to go.

[Chris]

I like Madison a whole lot more than Boulder, almost moved there a number of years ago when Barb had a job offer.

[Funrover]

Yeah we have bad drivers here... but it's fun for me when I pull them out!

[Chris]

gragravar previously posted:

[Chris]

He graduated in 1970, probably before you were there. :lol:

I lived in the Palatine/Arlington Hts area of IL for 10 years or so.

[Pathrat]

Brody previously posted:

[Chris]

Pathrat previously posted:

[Pathrat]

Chris previously posted:

[Chris]

When my son picked up the Colorado driving skills he got a collection of tickets, a couple crashes, etc. The courts took his license and I told him he wouldn't drive under my insurance until he took, and paid for, the Master Drive program. He hasn't had so much as a ticket since then. Money well spent, especially since it was his.

[Chris]

If you're not familiar with it - http://www.masterdrive.com/about/

[Pathrat]

Thank you!

[Chris]

They have a class when parents ride along - kind of scary to be shotgun when the kid does evasive maneuvers!

Reassuring when they do it right!

[Funrover]

Chris previously posted:

[Chris]

Scary thought, confident & stupid. My opinion stands.