why does this weather make people drive like absolute idiots!!!!

I have a 4x4 and while good, it doesnt give me magical braking capacity, I am gobsmacked at the number of people who think its ok to drive up my bumper on long stretches of black ice. sometimes I wonder if people actually know what black ice is but considering they are often in micras :p I tend not to worry. no idiot is going to make me drive faster than I feel comfortable with and just sitting there not taking any notice is very liberating :D

have some patience and leave plenty of time for your journey-the world does not revolve around you.
 
I would have said the same as the OP this time last week.
I always considered myself a confident, careful, pro-active driver who looked ahead of themselves and drove according to the conditions.
I just spend a weekend snowbound up a mountain because I smashed my car up because I thought it was OK to go at 40 on a busy dual carriageway.
But at least no one was hurt.
I am going to be a born-again crawler!
 
I seldom use my 4x4 in 4wd on snow. In 2wd I have a better idea of how slippery the conditions are and can drive accordingly. It doesnt help with braking (except under certain very specialised conditions ). A few years ago there was a very bad Blizzard in Austria (So bad that a sports stadium collapsed under the snow). It was my misfortune to be driving through it . No way could I persuade any of the "Eriks" to pass me and lead the way. I was stuck in "pole position " for hours in the dark and snow. What sort of fabulous 4wd was I driving... er... actualy it was a Ford fiesta van.:D
 
"If you haven't got quick reactions you shouldn't be on the road." There speaks a young person. It is a fact that young people have faster reactions than older ones, BUT they are involved in more accidents as they have less experience. Just wait until you are 70 and have to get to the shops.

I helped someone out of the ditch yesterday. They couldn't understand why they had skidded off the road, maybe they were going too fast for the conditions.
 
Here's a tip for people in the snow to avoid skidding. Tip your brakes slightly to alert people behind you are slowing down and then change down a gear. Keep doing this until you are at a standstill/speed you can turn off the road. Engine breaking by changing gears is the safest thing to do in the snow and ice - no skids guaranteed!!
 
I can not believe people are willing to drive up to limit on 60/70 roads just because the roads look clear. With these temperatures you can not guarantee the road is clear all the way even without the snow. I'm 29 and not known for being a slow driver shall we say but in these conditions even on apparently clear roads I am not willing to drive like a ninny. Slow down peeps, your business is not important enough to risk your life and that of others. I'd rather keep it steady and get to where I am going to than end up murdering someones kid because I decided against all common sense that I can drive as if the roads were normal...they are most definitely not normal right now even if they look as if they might be ok.
 
Well I think the 'idiots' referred to by OP are in the majority on this thread - hear hear for sanity.
Anyone like to join a 'drive slow in the snow' clique?
 
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Well I witnessed a numpty this morning overtaking me on a sixty road. The temperature was -9C and rocksalt only works to temperatures of around -6c, so guess what was in the hedge further along the road. Yes the numpty!
 
hereford only got snow properly today, this happened the day before yesterday, the roads were clear of snow then too. today its bucketed it down.

argh noone reads properly. I SAID WHEN THE ROADS WERE PERFECTLY CLEAR OF ICE AND SNOW!

and even though the roads are white here, it didnt stop oh having to use his truck as a barrier to stop a woman from careering off the corner down the bank today!

i was told to avoid braking at all costs in icy or snowy conditions, just to drive in as low a gear as possible and to drop gears to slow the car. and if you do skid to turn into it, and so far those have worked for me.
 
*whispers* drive in as high a gear as possible :D

I very rarely touch the brakes and I turn into skids (well I actually try not to touch either wheel or pedals too suddenly) but there was nothing at all I could have done the other night, apart from that I could have been going slower and at a further distance.

It does frustrate me too when people drive at stupidly low speeds when the road APPEARS clear but not all cars are great on snow and not all people are confident, it's just a matter of biting your lip and arriving alive.
 
Santas New Little Helper said:
ARGH!!! i've had enough of it now, yep its a little bit snowy up here, roads have been clear but some people insist on driving at 10 miles an hour on perfectly fine 60 roads.

yesterday a car pulled out on me, proper dangerously, causing me to have to brake and then didnt bother to try and get her speed up, just toodled along at 20 ish, now im not being funny, but its a fast road with lots of bends and driving behind someone like that will get the ar*e end of your car caved in!

is anyone else getting fed up of it or is it just me!
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Perhaps they might not have been able to stop due to the snow and ice, and were therefore continuing their journey as cautiously as they dare?

edited to explain: my housemate had a near miss when driving with all due caution and upon breaking early for a junction found breaks had no effect. she slid out onto the main road and managed to turn and find some grip, luckily there was nobody coming, but some eejit drove up behind her and flashed his/her lights at her to encourage her to go faster - 20 in a 40. I had a similar experience when I found out my car's chief wintertime hobby was ice skating last year - people just don't realise you don't necessarily have the same control as them. Its intimidating, doesn't get you anywhere, so why bother complaining?
 
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It's funny a thread like this should crop up because thanks to some silly silly young man i now have no front wall! when removing said car from my front wall his first words were "it didn't seem that icy, sorry love" :confused::mad:

Perhaps those that criticise people who drive slowly would like to contribute to the rebuilding of my front wall?

Sorry i am very grumpy tonight :mad:
 
Better late than dead.
OP doesn't sound as if she knows anything much about black ice (you know, the stuff you can't see), and even less about consideration for other road users.
It seems to me that people here in the Cotswolds react to snow by classic denial.
They continue to attemp to drive at normal speeds, berating other road users for their strange slowness - until they come to grief that is, when they say 'I didn't know it was icy!'
S :D
 
I agree with the OP...we have hardly any snow where i live in leicestershire and i was behind someone who pulled out on me..causing a literal emergency stop from 40mph on a 60 road to then drive along the same road at 10mph...the worst thing was that this road has only a dusting of snow even on the verges!! so there is most defiantly no snow on the road..plus i'd hacked down it earlier in the day so there was a definite lack of ice! crazy drivers!
 
Shilasdair said:
Better late than dead.
OP doesn't sound as if she knows anything much about black ice (you know, the stuff you can't see), and even less about consideration for other road users.
It seems to me that people here in the Cotswolds react to snow by classic denial.
They continue to attemp to drive at normal speeds, berating other road users for their strange slowness - until they come to grief that is, when they say 'I didn't know it was icy!'
S :D
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Surely you haven't got ice & snow in Hades Shils...or is this winter is really REALLY cold!!
 
I won't go any faster then I feel comforable with. Today it's been 15mph the roads are still coved with snow and it's just not worth the risk!! I've had a 4x4 that was following me so close!! I won't be rushed!! This idot decide to overtake me as another 4x4 on a off side road was coming out. He had enough time and space untill this idot overtook me he then had to slammed brakes on and ended up on the main road luckly missing me!! He then carryd on overtaking the other cars till he got to this narrow bridge on a sight bend!! And then sat behide them!! What a idot!!
 
Santas New Little Helper said:
ARGH!!! yesterday a car pulled out on me, proper dangerously, causing me to have to brake and then didnt bother to try and get her speed up, just toodled along at 20 ish, now im not being funny, but its a fast road with lots of bends and driving behind someone like that will get the ar*e end of your car caved in!
!
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So the day you are zipping along at 60 on a road with lots of bends, that just MAY have black ice, and bright winter sunlight and you shoot round a tight bend where it just so happens someone is out happy hacking, or walking and you do not see them because of the light and cannot stop because of the ice? Are you then going to still say THEY should not be out on the road? Get some sense of responsibility.

Yes 20mph is too slow in some instances, but there again 60mph in the current UK conditions on a road with alot of bends is suicidal. An aquaintance had your mind set 10 yrs ago, age 27, experienced driver, with her 6 yr old son in the car. Hit a patch of black ice at 40 mph on a bend in North Wales, mild morning, not much snow left around, took her into the path of another vehicle, now she no longer has that son to enjoy every Christmas with. Oh and the driver of the other vehicle also lost their life.
 
Oh dear I overtook someone in my 4x4 today

The roads were terrible, but I was stuck behind an audi TT, which looked extremely unsafe and was going 20mph at the fastest and was crawling along at 5 mph

I over took on a nice straight clear stretch, because I was finding as I was heavier than him, even with a massive stopping distance I was having to change down a lot to slow me down and not get too close. After 8 miles this got quite boring, so I had a safe chance to overtake and duly did so.

Then I was able to continue at a max speed of 30mph and do more gentle manoeuvres around the bends
 
Jen_Cots said:
The roads were terrible, but I was stuck behind an audi TT, which looked extremely unsafe and was going 20mph at the fastest and was crawling along at 5 mph
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One thing that does bug me is people doing less than 20mph. You need to be doing 20 to actually have enough forward momentum to prevent sideways slides. If you watch the people going this slow you will notice that they are all over the place.

People hate me at the mo . I've got my landrover and can quite happily do 40mph in these conditions - as of yesterday I have got snow chains on. People get very upset though when I overtake :D
 
I had a horrible drive into work a couple of weeks ago - the lane was completely slick with ice, so I was pootling along fairly slowly when suddenly this guy came right up behind me. He went to overtake and skidded, so chickened out but then proceded to drive along in the boot of my car - every time I tried to speed up a bit to get a gap I started to skid, despite being very gentle - it was that icy! And I wouldn't have dared to brake either. I thought he was about to go into the back of me, I really did. :mad:
 
The day before yesterday a bloke crashed his car into a wall along a seemingly clear straight piece of road, he killed his wife and 2 of his 4 kids. Beware of black ice just because it seems clear doesn't mean it is!!!

I drive a 4x4 I drive slowly, about between about 20 and 40 mph on very icey bits that I am not confident on and I am amazed at the people who drive up my arse and then proceed to skid all over the place and still won't slow down. I had a truck tailgate me the other day and he terrified me so much so that I went straight to the cops and reported him. No offence to foreigners but it turned out he was polish and couldn't see the problem and said that I was the one driving dangerously. I was doing between 40 and 50 on the main road but I know that it is a treacherous road and has also been known to be lethal in bad weather regardless on whether it looks clear or not!!!
 
I am afraid the op has made me furious. I would rather people overreacted this way and drove too slowly than the idiots who overtake me on slippery roads because they think 4x4's have magic powers and cannot slip on ice. I drive a 4x4 but I am aware that there are patches of the road that are black ice, even though they are gritted. You will onlyfind out too late if you have to brake whilst speeding, and I don't want to be the person you take out with you. Just realise that people will drive at the speed they feel is right for the road. No-one should be speeding along at the moment, even gritted roads are not completely ice free and it is the assumption that they are that is causing all the accidents at the moment. Just be patient, better to arrive late than not arrive at all.
 
Well anyone want to drive my van which has no weight to it and is notorious for having appauling traction even at the best of times, is welcome to try going faster than 30mph right now. Anyone stupid enough to think just because the road looks clear needs to rethink before risking the lives of other road users.

So far since this weekend I've seen 4 vehicles in ditches or crumpled at the side of the roads...3 were 4x4's driven by idiots who obviously think because they are safe to drive at excessive speeds in these conditions..obviously they weren't. :mad:

So excuse me while I pottle along at 20mph..I'd rather get a few minutes later than usual and be in one piece than give a s*** that I've delayed the idiot behind me who thinks they are indestructable.
 
You should use all your senses when driving in these weather conditions. We riders SHOULD have an advantage because our sensitive behinds mean we can feel small slips of the car which are invisible to anyone just watching. If a road LOOKS snow free because it is black, it doesn't mean there isn't ice on the surface. On Saturday evening at 5pm I was driving home and turned right from a 30mph onto the motorway link road which is 50mph. You would expect that to be salted and safe wouldn't you? As I accelerated away from the lights, turning right I was facing one way and then the car spun around and was heading for the kerb but now facing the other way. Hmmm! Luckily I'm quite experienced on snow and an experienced driver anyway and was able to sort it out and carry on safely. There was NOTHING to see on the road surface, but clearly there was invisible black ice there. Alot of people fail to realise that salt only works up to minus 10. Yesterday morning when I was seeing to my horse it was minus 14 so I drove extra carefully which is more than I could say for some of the numpties flying along. Yes, it is annoying when nervous people seem to be crawling along but at the end of the day, the speed limit is a maximum not a minimum and I'd far rather arrive late than have people arriving at my funeral. Last February when we had a foot of snow to contend with I am quite sure I annoyed the hell out of alot of people behind me but I got to work every day (I do 60 miles a day on all classes of roads), had no mishaps and trundled past alot of people fruitlessly spinning their wheels or writing off their front ends on the kerb or the back of the car in front. I was also delighted to leave a few morons who tried to sniff my exhaust pipe stationary when they stopped abruptly and couldn't restart. Drive steadily and you will come to no harm.
 
The fact is that temperatures have been less than 0 degrees centigrade and that even the best salt and grit will not prevent ice forming at temperatures less than -5 degrees centigrade.

However safe the roads look there still could be black ice. Skidding on black ice at even 1.m.p.h. may result in your vehicle becoming totally uncontrollable. Driving slowly and cautiously in these conditions is sensible as you just can just not see the black ice.

If you journey takes a little longer and you arrive without incident then no one has suffered any harm.
 
I am worried by the number of people who are annoyed by people driving too slowly, just be patient and keep your distance, it's better that people are too cautious than gung-ho.

I always try to keep power going to the wheels and use my engine and gears for braking to help prevent a slide, but on Sunday on one of those apparently 'clear' roads I was doing 20mph as the thermometer in my car was reading -4 and unlike some of the posters on here I am not able to see invisible black ice. Good job I was going cautiously because I hit some ice and oh so nearly came to grief wrapped round a tree / in a ditch, thankfully someone was looking down on me and i live to drive another day.

Please be careful, it doesn't matter how clear the road is if the temprature is +3 or below pockets of black ice can form whether you are on a country lane or the M25. I am not saying that you should drive at 20mph all the time but just be a bit more patient and understanding of others.
 
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