Winter driver's pet peeves

[mtwallet]

Just in case you missed it, winter is here. Along with it comes the 3 kinds of drivers that just piss me off royaly.

Transport Quebec plows that travel side by side to "clean" so little snow, I can see the white lane markings even before they pass. They block all lanes and travel at 30 km/h on the highway. It wouldn't be so bad if they were spreading sand or salt. Nope. They're just dragging the plow blades, trying to melt the 1cm of powder with all the sparks they create. Where the fuck are they when we have a really deserving snowfall? (At the bar, since they might get caught drinking in the truck?)

Idiots who insist on driving with their high beams on during a snow fall. Hey dumbass! The reason you can't see anything is because you're reflecting your own lights back at yourself.

But my all time pet peeve driver is....(drum roll) The world class FUCKTARD who insists on driving at no more than 40 km/h on what is just wet pavement, ON THE HIGHWAY!!!! These morons are creating more of a danger with their overly cautious driving because they are forcing people to go around them, possibly in a lane which isn't as clean. If they are that nervous about driving in the snow, then they should stick to the service roads, find an alternate route, or take a bus or taxi.

Obviously your driving habits have to change with seasons. Snow tires and/or 4wd don't make you invincible. Just use a little common sense, a little patience, and try to show a little courtesy towards other drivers.......Especially me! LOL!

 

[metoo4]

Annoyances in winter driving:

• Peoples who drive so fast they obviously don't think that they won't be able to stop for anything that might jump in their way.
• Peoples who just "step on it" on corners, not thinking a skidding car can move sideways, towards cars besides them.
• Peoples who park 2-3 feet from the snow the plow pushed to the side, blocking one lane of traffic in doing so.
• Peoples who park sideways, thinking parking laws no longer applies.
• Peoples who already follow too close in summer, on dry pavement, and keep doing so in icy, snowy roads. If there's 20 feet of dry pavement, it doesn't always mean the next 20 feet won't be slippery.

 

[YouVantOption]

Snow tires and/or 4wd don't make you invincible.

Heh. I drove back from Quebec city years ago during an ice storm. The single-most popular vehicle in the ditches was Urban Assault Vehicles.

What I love is the aggressiveness the Hockey Moms get when they use one of these things.

 

[Regular Guy]

While we are on pet peeves!

Obviously your driving habits have to change with seasons. Snow tires and/or 4wd don't make you invincible. Just use a little common sense, a little patience, and try to show a little courtesy towards other drivers.......Especially me! LOL!

On ice, snow tires or all season radials, if you are not adjusting your driving, you are going for the very exciting "four wheel drift" into the hinterlands. But perhaps society has put a little too much hype on the value of snow tires. Gripping is one thing, stopping is another. And I have always been just a bit suspicious of the motives of retailers in Ontario who rub their hands with glee while issuing dire warnings about what will happen unless you buy 4 instead of two snow tires and topping it off with insisting you sign a waiver if you only get two (But can't intelligently discuss the potential degree of instability with two.) If you are barreling down a slush covered road like an idiot it becomes academic as to the various ballet moves which will be initiated depending on whether two snow tires, four snow tires or four all season radials grace your chariot. Sign a waiver? Come on! Isn't that just a bit melodramatic and self-serving? A sign posted or a verbal warning should suffice to quiet any claims of liability. But I suppose like everything else today it becomes a motherhood issue and they are profiting from it. In any event I wonder if all the hype associated with snow tires will, for some, result in a false sense of security and help to promote "pedal to the metal" rather than reduce accidents in extreme conditions.

 

[metoo4]

Did you know that, on a front wheels-drive vehicle, if you are really stuck with having to get only 2 winter tires, they should be installed... ON THE REAR WHEELS? It's true! It's about maintaining the vehicle stability. Most problems occurs when the rear decides to becomes the front so, the winter tires in the back will lessen this risk. Also, there's the more down to earth reason that say if you spin so much trying to move forward, you won't be able to get yourself in as much trouble since you'll likely won't move much!

 

[Regular Guy]

Did you know that, on a front wheels-drive vehicle, if you are really stuck with having to get only 2 winter tires, they should be installed... ON THE REAR WHEELS? It's true! It's about maintaining the vehicle stability. Most problems occurs when the rear decides to becomes the front so, the winter tires in the back will lessen this risk. Also, there's the more down to earth reason that say if you spin so much trying to move forward, you won't be able to get yourself in as much trouble since you'll likely won't move much!

Yes I knew the theory about swapping ends if you slam on the brakes on a front wheel drive car. And of course, on paper, the idea looks quite sound. And logically it would follow that therefore the snow tires would best be put on the back where, as you say, they are about as useful as mammary glands on a male bovine. Oh they'll sell you two and if they can convince you to put them on the back they are still sporting an ear to ear grin. They know you'll soon be back for the other two.
What I would like to see is three test groups of similarly varying ability driving the same model FWD vehicle, followed over a fixed period of time, say one or two seasons (and adjusting for as many other variables as possible)-one group, sporting all season radials, one group with 2 snow tires on the front and one group with four snow tires. What I would like to know would be whether the variations if any were significant when you control for all factors save the human factor. I realize that experts can show us all kinds of videos taken at test tracks under extreme conditions. But I wonder just how significant the results are when this translates to the real world?

 

[joelcairo]

My winter pet peeve is drivers from Massachussetts. As horrendous as they are in the other three seasons they're even worse in the winter!

 

[GuitarPlaya]

The drivers I hate most are the ones who think that they can cross a red light when it just turned red. Same goes with pedestrians. I often hear horns behind me when I slow down to stop when the light is yellow !
I figure it's mostly people with the "last-minute" syndrome. Always late, always in a hurry, mix that up with egocentrism.... bad mix ...

My winter pet peeve is drivers from Massachussetts. As horrendous as they are in the other three seasons they're even worse in the winter!

Can you explain why ?

 

[metoo4]

RG, it's been done by various peoples and BY ME!

Started with Civics. My mom and I had the same car, only different color and transmission. My mom's car had 2 front winter tires, mine had 4 winter tires. (Used all year long... That's the joy of being a student...) My mom's car was my "fun car" (when she didn't know... ) because it would slide uncontrollably on every slightly slippy corner. I could drive by with my car and not slide and be back 10 minutes later with my mom's and almost doing 180 degrees, at the same spot! I took my mom's car and swapped the front/back tires to see the effect and, while it was more stable, I couldn't move as soon as it was a bit slippery and there was a tiny snow-covered hill. So bad, I had to reswap the tires on the street because I couldn't drive back up our driveway!

Years later, I got a new car with brand spanking new 4 seasons. I figured, it was September so I could keep them for winter. That was a scary winter... I was under impression that brand new car of mine was crap! The following winter, 4 winter tires went on the car. What a difference! Since then, I never even imagined driving in winter on 4 seasons, even when money was tight.

 

[joelcairo]

Can you explain why ?

Well Quebec drivers are not the most considerate in the world but they're freakin angels compared to drivers from Mass. Also I don't know how they hand out drivers licenses there because 99% of the drivers I've met from Massachussetts are totally incompetent behind the wheel. Lack of skill plus lack of manners = a deadly combination.