Snow on cars--A rant

[Welsummer Rancher]

Quote:
I wasn't trying to imply ANYTHING. In fact, I wasn't even talking to you. But since I am now...The LAW tells you not to exceed the maximum posted speed limit, or go slower than a posted minimum. This has NOTHING to do with the "flow" of traffic, or more particularly of maintaining an assured clear distance.

Sure... the speed limit on the pike is 65... thats the law, you are right.

But trust me.. if everyone else is going 60... i cant go 30.. period. UNLESS the FLOW of traffic is going that speed.
Snow CAN fly off a vehicle and fly a couple hundred feet at 60MPH... have you ever even seen that? I have..

Has noone else here seen a slab of ice/snow fall off a vehicle going at high speed and skip down the highway? Come on now...

You OBVIOUSLY didn't truly read my last post so I will bow out now and let you argue with someone else.

 

[redhen]

Quote:
Sure... the speed limit on the pike is 65... thats the law, you are right.

But trust me.. if everyone else is going 60... i cant go 30.. period. UNLESS the FLOW of traffic is going that speed.
Snow CAN fly off a vehicle and fly a couple hundred feet at 60MPH... have you ever even seen that? I have..

Has noone else here seen a slab of ice/snow fall off a vehicle going at high speed and skip down the highway? Come on now...

You OBVIOUSLY didn't truly read my last post so I will bow out now and let you argue with someone else.

No..no.. I dont want to argue with you! I understand what you are saying too...

I'm just trying to explain that it is truly dangerous to leave snow on your vehicle. Thats all... sorry. Peace..
Now go clean your car off...

(

..)

 

[Mattemma]

Oh ya I despise the snowing cars on the highway. That I will never understand. I sympathise with the truckers and the sheets of ice coming off the trailors,because there is no way to clean those aside from letting it fall. Keep your distance from them!

 

[woodmort]

Quote:
In defense of Redhen and, hopefully, end the argument. Even if your can keep a safe distance behind snow-covered vehicles, that distance is hard to determine. If the wind takes the sheet of ice/snow it can not only fly several hundred feet back, it can go into the other lane. You can never know from whence it is going to come. For example, I've seen cars in the northbound lane get hit with snow off southbound lane vehicles. Also, given the height of semi trailers someone in a car can't always see that there is snow on top of them. I do know a couple of truckers, BTW, who will take the time to use a ladder to climb up and clean off the tops of their trailers. Most, however, aren't that considerate. The point is that it is a simple enough thing for most people to do but, for some reason, they are just so unthinking that they ignore the possible consequence since it is one of those things where the hurt will be to someone else. Maybe its me but I try to always think about the people sharing the road with me--fully realizing that a large portion of them are idiots.

 

[EweSheep]

Well, I am one of those idiots by doing the best I can brush the snow off the top of my van. Driving defensively would be the best bet.

I haven't heard that as the law...too many of us still have snow on the top of the car.

The snow "manures" off the cars and trucks are dangerous as they can be as well when the temps are thawing out. Trying to avoid them on the roads are like dodging hockey pucks.

 

[chickaddict]

You do get fined in CT for doing that but it certainly doesn't stop people. You also get fined for cell phone use or for not wearing a seat belt but that doesn't stop people either.

I think the problem here is simply that some people feel that the laws of the road just don't apply to them. They are above it.

 

[Royd]

Quote:
We wernt following close...
Is that what you were trying to imply? You are wrong, if so.
If you are on a state turnpike going 60 miles per hour....
yeah... how far back would you expect me to be? And still keep up with the flow of traffic safely...? Its also the LAW to keep up with the flow of traffic..
Sure, i could drive 30 in a 60.... i think i'd get rear-ended or fined though....

If they were obeying the 3 second rule, they wouldn't have to worry about a 400lb. snowball.

 

[aubreynoramarie]

Quote:
In defense of Redhen and, hopefully, end the argument. Even if your can keep a safe distance behind snow-covered vehicles, that distance is hard to determine. If the wind takes the sheet of ice/snow it can not only fly several hundred feet back, it can go into the other lane. You can never know from whence it is going to come. For example, I've seen cars in the northbound lane get hit with snow off southbound lane vehicles. Also, given the height of semi trailers someone in a car can't always see that there is snow on top of them. I do know a couple of truckers, BTW, who will take the time to use a ladder to climb up and clean off the tops of their trailers. Most, however, aren't that considerate. The point is that it is a simple enough thing for most people to do but, for some reason, they are just so unthinking that they ignore the possible consequence since it is one of those things where the hurt will be to someone else. Maybe its me but I try to always think about the people sharing the road with me--fully realizing that a large portion of them are idiots.

i work for a trucking company and i just have to put in my .02...

if a truck driver has not taken the time to get on a ladder and sweep of a trailer it is because we run on an incredibly tight schedule and one driver can hitch to up to 20 trailers a day! add an extra half an hour to each trailer and you have ten hours just sweeping trailer tops. its ideal, but not possible if we all want to get our freight and groceries and such and such... just saying

 

[foxinachickenhouse]

Woodmort - Thank you for the rant. This has been a peeve of mine for years. Having lived in the Rockies for many years (where most people tend to clean their rigs as it is the law) and coming to the PNW I have chalked up the "flying snow hats" to folks just being ignorant of the danger they cause to other drivers. Here in PNW, people really have no idea what to do with snow, and they are often driving at the melting point temp the day after a snowfall, so the "snow hats" are heavy and love to slide off in one large icy chunk.

Heavy snow is a PIA but it really must be cleaned off for safety, it truly is an unsecured load. Just another reason to curse the weather.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Quote:
I disagree. I do not believe a large portion are idiots. I assume all are idiots until proven otherwise and consider that defensive driving.

If you have not done it yet after this last snow/ice storm. You might want to have one car cleaned off and ready to go in case you need it.