Winter reminder: Be careful out there...

[pudly]

Fortunately the snow/ice hasn't been too bad so far this winter in Indiana. But icy conditions, particularly when combined with fog or heavy snow can really be treacherous. The following video is from Michigan after a 193-car pileup killed two and injured dozens more on Friday. Be careful out there.

I-94 reopens in both directions after deadly pileup

[video=youtube_share;W9fI5M6_XVk]http://youtu.be/W9fI5M6_XVk[/video]

 

[mom45]

I hadn't seen that a second person had died. I know there were 23 hospitalized. Amazing that more weren't killed that day. I cannot even begin to imagine the horror of being in the middle of this. The sound on this video demonstrated just how horrible this had to be. I shared this with my kids as a reminder that even when you are doing everything right, in bad conditions....you can still die and it may not be your fault. Better to avoid being on the roads when it is like this.

 

[femurphy77]

It's amazing that people were driving those speeds in those conditions!

 

[pudly]

Its easy to get complacent. The first real snow/ice storm every year always seems to result in a bunch of slide-offs. In a case like this, even if you managed to stop properly, the odds were high that someone would hit you from behind.

 

[looney2ns]

It's amazing that people were driving those speeds in those conditions!

 

[printcraft]

Its easy to get complacent. The first real snow/ice storm every year always seems to result in a bunch of slide-offs. In a case like this, even if you managed to stop properly, the odds were high that someone would hit you from behind.

This^^^^^^^^^^^^
I would be looking for an end run around or ditching it, over stopping on the road with others flying up on my butt.

 

[ModernGunner]

WHY is it that, every year, and with people who have lived in the climate their entire lives, at the beginning of the cold / snow season, they forget how to drive in winter weather, every year?

Often, even worse are those who tout, 'But, I have 4-wheel drive!". Is that so? Well, every car and truck has had four-wheel brakes for a hundred years, and that's what your using to stop.

Lastly, for those who are 'nervous' about driving on multi-lane roads in traffic in such conditions, stay off the roads, take side-roads, or get in the outside lane. In any other lane, you're an accident waiting to happen.

Leave the house sooner. Better to get there early than not get there at all.

 

[Hoosierdood]

It's amazing that people were driving those speeds in those conditions!

Apparently, you havent been around Michigan drivers enough. They are almost as crazy as Illinois drivers.

This happens every single year, yet people still fail to learn. I drive I-196, I-94, and US-31 between Holland and South Bend every day. I have people tailgate me, flash their high beams at me, flip me off all the time. And thats on bad roads where I stay in the slow lane at a reasonable speed. They are idiots up here.

 

[mom45]

My understanding was this was black ice and that people could not stop. Braking had no effect at all on the vehicles and they didn't realize it until it was too late.

 

[Hoosierdood]

My understanding was this was black ice and that people could not stop. Braking had no effect at all on the vehicles and they didn't realize it until it was too late.

Which is why I do periodic brake checks in bad weather. If my brake check reveals slick roads, I adjust my speed accordingly.

 

[mom45]

Which is why I do periodic brake checks in bad weather. If my brake check reveals slick roads, I adjust my speed accordingly.

I agree. I also try to make sure to allow plenty of room between me and the other vehicles. I hate driving in Michigan even in good weather. The increased speed limits certainly don't help in situations like this.