Another question on winter traction
On the way to Mammoth during the 1980's I stopped to chain up on the way up Sherman Pass.. A jeep Cherokee speed past us. A 1/4 of a mile past us the Jeep took a near 90 degree left hand turn. crossed...
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Glad the driver wasn't sitting there bleeding to death . . . but does sound like overconfidence born of inexperience.
Many, many years ago, we lived at the foot of a bridge across a river at the bottom of a small valley. One morning it had been below freezing just long enough that the bridge (but not the road leading to it) was covered in a sheet of ice. We were awakened by somebody pounding on our door; they'd slid across the bridge and into the ditch, and needed assistance.
Went down to see what I could do, and watched helplessly as another car slid across the bridge and into the ditch on top of the first car.
Now this bridge was a long one, at least 1/4 mile. Before it warmed up, we took to serving hot coffee to the victims as car after car slid off the end of the bridge. Nobody was hurt, thank goodness, but the damages had to have been in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
I recall seeing one guy in particular fly down the hill, hit the bridge just as he noticed the carnage, and he jumped on the brakes with both feet, locked up all four, and pirouetted the entire length of the bridge, bashing one fender after another on the guard rails. Went in slow motion the entire length, and slid off the end onto the pile with everyone else. I'm sure his car was totaled by the insurance company.
Now mind you, only about half the people who crossed the bridge crashed. The half who made it intact did the smart thing, got off both the go and stop pedals, made no sudden moves, and just coasted across, and were fine.
Many, many years ago, we lived at the foot of a bridge across a river at the bottom of a small valley. One morning it had been below freezing just long enough that the bridge (but not the road leading to it) was covered in a sheet of ice. We were awakened by somebody pounding on our door; they'd slid across the bridge and into the ditch, and needed assistance.
Went down to see what I could do, and watched helplessly as another car slid across the bridge and into the ditch on top of the first car.
Now this bridge was a long one, at least 1/4 mile. Before it warmed up, we took to serving hot coffee to the victims as car after car slid off the end of the bridge. Nobody was hurt, thank goodness, but the damages had to have been in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
I recall seeing one guy in particular fly down the hill, hit the bridge just as he noticed the carnage, and he jumped on the brakes with both feet, locked up all four, and pirouetted the entire length of the bridge, bashing one fender after another on the guard rails. Went in slow motion the entire length, and slid off the end onto the pile with everyone else. I'm sure his car was totaled by the insurance company.
Now mind you, only about half the people who crossed the bridge crashed. The half who made it intact did the smart thing, got off both the go and stop pedals, made no sudden moves, and just coasted across, and were fine.
