poncho62 wrote:
I know the ice there compounded things, but people need to slow down and use common sense. We get those here to that think because they have a 4x4, they are invincible....not so
Boy ... do you make an outstanding but very subtle point with that statement!!!!!!!!!!
Take a look at the SUV and other vehicle adds on TV and other media. Many, many of them show SUVs and sedans frolicking in the snow like it was nothing. They make big deals out of such "features" on modern vehicles as shift-on-the-fly 4WD or full-time 4WD, automatic stability control, automatic skid control, computer controlled individual wheel torque application, etc., etc..
Physics is physics and the bulk of it affecting a 3000-5000 lb. vehicle on a snow/ice/slush road surface cannot be gotten around with gimmicks on the vehicle.
For example:
I drove my light-in-the-rear rear wheel drive 1967 gimmick-less Mustang 25 miles at night once on a frozen sheet ice freeway where it was so bad that I had to travel at only 10-15 MPH and stay on the top of the road's crown so I wouldn't slide sideways into the ditch and stay in top gear to absolutely minimize torque on the rear wheels. I made it home with common-back-then sense of what physics was .... not with non-existent gimmicks on my dinosaur technology Mustang.
Another time I tried to drive my M&S oversize-tired offroad four wheel drive (with lockup rear differential) GMC pickup very, very slowly on frozen snow-packed small-town sideroads and it scared me to death. I could hardly move the pickup or control it at any speed, but regardless I was indeed able to make it around town with application of maximum common-back-then sense of what physics was.
I think many folks today are depending way too much on gadgetry to keep them safe and sound with only minimum knowledge or experience required or applied on their part. :(
