Hell freezing over

[Skuzzy]

Yes, we have a very high number of fatalities per miles driven.  About 100 times worse than Canada's.

The single biggest reason, in my opinion, we do not actually require drivers to know much of anything before handing them a license to operate a vehicle.

Every accident I see, lately, involves someone tailgating someone.  I have had people, literally, 4 feet from my back bumper at 75MPH with no way to get out from in front of them.

Also does not help no matter what freeway you drive, it is under construction.  98% of my 14 mile commute is under major construction.  When it is done, it will need to be done again as the idiots in the Texas Department of Transportation only builds to suit what is currently needed and not what will be needed to carry the vehicle load.

Of course the numpties still drive 80MPH on roads under construction.  I cannot remember the last time I commuted to work and did not see an accident.

Anyone driving in Texas should be terrified to get into the car.  I have heard groups of people making the statement, "It is safer to drive faster than the other cars on the road.  That way you do not have to worry about getting rear ended.".

[noman]

On I-10 in Texas if you are doing 75 mph you will be run over. I drive to Houston a lot and the average speed is 85-90 mph. Cops and Highway patrolman don't even patrol that much anymore. It looks like a NASCAR event with people bumper to bumper with no space in between. If you do try to leave space that just leaves room for some idiot to get over to pass. Then there are the idiots who will drive 55 mph in the fast lane and never even blink when people pass them at 80 mph in the right lane. Even I-45 north to Dallas is the same way if you are doing the speed limit you are driving to slow.

[icepac]

85 and 400 through atlanta is full of people who are not clued in to the physics of cars driving at speed.

[Chris79]

[BaldEagl]

Wet ice, what could be more slippery?

A layer of ice covered by a dusting of snow.

I grew up in a part of the country where the roads got a layer of packed snow and ice early in the winter that remained until spring.  As a result I (and others in the area) got really good at winter driving.

My tips:

Don't do anything suddenly (accelerate, decelerate, turn)
Don't overdrive your tire's adhesion limits.
Concentrate 100% of the time on how your car feels on the road.
Adjust speed for the conditions (packed snow, loose snow, ice, slush, etc... each is different).
Adjust following distances for conditions.
If you do lose the back end turn into the spin (if the back end slides left turn left).

I still drive a mid engine RWD sports car year round.  I'm the guy you'll see blowing by you at 65 while you're creeping along at 30-40 but sometimes not.  I've never put my car in the ditch or been in an accident due to road conditions.  I'm glad I got all that practice growing up.

[BaldEagl]

When braking, take into account the fact you'll need much longer to decelerate, again letting the engine dictate the spin of the wheels, this will keep them gripping.

To a degree.  In really slick conditions if you're moving faster than the idle speed of the drive wheels they'll let go when you reduce throttle below that speed.  It is for that reason though that as road conditions deteriorate you want to drive in the highest possible gear for your speed.  I sometimes find myself in fifth gear at 40 mph with my engine at idle.

[icepac]

Funny thing about driving in orlando.

Whenever you get lost, you always end up at the gate for disneyworld.

[Skuzzy]

I understand friction coefficients, physics, and chaos theory all too well to allow myself to think I could be in control of a 3500 pound bullet which depends on friction to accelerate, stop, and adjust inertia moments all the while others are around me trying to do the same thing with only varying degrees of success.

Nope.  Not going to happen.

[FBKampfer]

To a degree.  In really slick conditions if you're moving faster than the idle speed of the drive wheels they'll let go when you reduce throttle below that speed.  It is for that reason though that as road conditions deteriorate you want to drive in the highest possible gear for your speed.  I sometimes find myself in fifth gear at 40 mph with my engine at idle.

Biggest pain in the bellybutton about automatics in winter. Most are limited to 3rd gear if they even have a direct gear selection.

[10thmd]

Skuzzy you need to stop driving near the big cities. I grew up in Jasper and didn't see a vehicle accident till I moved to Humble.  My Brother is a State Trooper here in Texas now, and he says 3 out of 5 of the accidents he works are unlicensed drivers with most being illegals.

[Skuzzy]

I live in downtown.  Hard not to drive in the big city.

[10thmd]

That's the problem

[Skuzzy]

That's the problem

Yes, but the Wife can walk to work (literally 4 blocks from the house).

After me having less than 2 miles to commute for nearly 20 years, and her driving over an hour each way, we figured it was her turn for the short commute.

This happens to be the last home we will ever own.  Getting too close to retirement to move again.

[zack1234]

I was in the colonies years ago and was amazed at the crashes at the traffic lights, everyday I saw someone rear ending someone.

The roads in the UK are about the size of Scalectrix sets

Don’t think straight roads help, in the UK we have roundabouts, everyone knows if you tear bellybutton on to one of these it’s good night

[Skuzzy]

They are installing roundabouts here now and they are a nightmare.