I'm sorry, Alisande! I be your heart is still pounding! that is scary!

do you have front wheel drive? studs? are your tires siped? change?

Best wishes for the rest of the winter!

It can really be unnerving can't it? I'm glad you made it home safe and sound.
The scariest part of Winter driving here this year is that my youngest son just got his license a week ago. I so wish I had a brake on the passengers side at times!

Ron

I'm going to have to save this and pull it out to read when our temps are 105 this summer. I can't think of anything else that will make me grateful for the heat. That is really scary. There is nothing that makes you feel more helpless than losing control of the car like that. I'm sooo glad you and the car alright. (How long did it take for your knees to stop knocking?)

Oh, I should have mentioned that I have a Toyota 4Runner and was in 4-wheel drive. Tires aren't studded, but at $200 apiece I think they ought to stay on the road. :-)

Temp was 17ú at the time.....I must have hit ice under the snow. Ugh.

We always use my 4-wheel drive in deep snow....but never on icy roads, then we use the big, heavy Buick.

Glad you are in a sturdy vehicle.
"$200 apiece I think they ought to stay on the road." yep! good tires are important. You must have hit some ice under that snow... ice is, well ice! scary! lol glad you are okay.

Thanks for the reminder. I am about to head out and get a little practice in before my 45 mile trip to Morgantown tomorrow morning.

Janie

Hummmmm, actually haven't made it out and about yet. Have spent the past hour just trying to FIND my car under all the snow. Almost there but had to come inside to rest. Will try again in a little while. Oh, and there are flurries again!

I'm glad you (and the mailbox) are okay! I'm a chicken when it comes to driving in bad weather too.

I am glad all is well; I am a chicken when it comes to ice or snow on the road. Keep safe. Nanny

When we lived in Colorado, I knew several people who weighed their cars down with cat litter or other heavy bags when they had to drive on icy, snowy roads. Maybe that would help you? The cat litter can also be used for traction in case you get stuck on ice.

On the radio this morning was an interview with a little boy, who was SO excited, "My dad and I were driving on the road, and we hit some ice, and we SPINNED ALL THE WAY AROUND!" Fun for some.

I'm good in the snow. When you grow up driving around Chicagoland you learn to anticipate trouble in the winter, but you can't know what's going to happen when there's invisible ice.

I once took a new Jaguar right into a two-foot high snow/ice bank. I wasn't going more than 20 MPH, but with only rear-wheel drive I couldn't make 4000 lbs stop going straight ahead when the road curved. Have you noticed how accidents like that seem to take place in freeze-frame time?

Very happy to have all-wheel and 'shiftable' drive on the current much smaller X-Type. Being able to switch from automatic into 1st or 2nd is a help if you do get stuck or need to 'rock' the car.

I am a complete chicken when it comes to driving on ice or snow. In fact, I am called "flutter flake" as if I see a snow flurry I head for home. I also had the spin around the ice experience a few years ago. At the time I was driving a all wheel drive van going North when I hit a patch of ice. I completly spun around on the highway and ended up heading South. I am so thankful there were no other cars on the road when it happened. When I was finally able to pull in a driveway and stop I was shaking so hard I didn't get back on the road for several minutes.

Lois in Iowa who should be accustomed to ice and snow!!

Well Susan that is one adventure that you didn't need. Thank heavens you were able to avoid that mail box and then proceed home without any more slippery happenings.

I hope you at least enjoyed the party!

I once drove a car right through a chain link fence. It was icy, and I turned the steering wheel, but the car didn't turn. It was my father in law's car too (before we were married, even). He didn't mind though. He was very patient about that stuff.

Try moving from So Calif to ND as a senior Citizen. FUN FUN FUN--Our snow/roads in the mts in SCal was so different. Here is ice/snow and slip and slide. This year is has been the ice fogs and slippery roads. Slow is good, very good. DH does have snow tires and sand in the back of his little truck. 4x4 isn't too good on ice, but the roads are built so if you go in straight, you can drive out. Sand is good!!

I enjoyed all the responses. Good to know I'm not the only chicken, and also good to know some of you have taken the matter in hand.

I hope you at least enjoyed the party!

Actually, I had a blast. Several wonderful women musicians were there with fiddles, guitars, and banjos, playing traditional music, and we were all singing. It was really delightful. But if it's snowing next time, I'm still gonna stay home.

I think you hit a patch of ice under the snow.

A front wheel driver is very akward to regain control once the front begin to skid. Try this the next time. Let up on the gas pedal and shift into neutral. That will help the front wheels to get a grip again. [Never, never shift into neutral with the accelerator pedal pressed down.] When the front regains its grip. shift back into gear and gently apply power. The amount has to be found by feel and experience.

I recommend practive when you change to a different vehicle. Find a parking lot that is clear of obstructions and practice recovering from skids. Rear wheel drive and front wheel drive react very differently as do different brake set-ups.

I'm glad you're in a 4Runner, Susan, that's my vehicle of choice, too. However, as good and as heavy as they are, ice makes anything dangerous to drive. We are more prone to ice storms around here, but my 4Runner got us home in a blizzard a few years ago that was stranding everyone else. The snow came down so fast and heavy, it was being pushed out of the way by my own frame, and you know that's pretty high, so it was impressive. I kissed my car for weeks after that, I thought we would be walking home the last 10 miles, but nope- we drove! Took forever, but we made it.

I'm glad you got home safe from the party. You might consider cables (those work great if there's snow or ice on the ground, you can order them thru an auto supply store, they aren't cheap but they last a good long time) for your tires- they will make your commute a lot safer. Woody has cables for his truck and he used them all the time when he was on the FD and responding to traffic accidents as an EMT. Swears by them! You have to take them off when the roads are clear and dry, but it only takes a few minutes.

Alisande, that sure sounded scary. And I used to drive back and forth 32 miles to work. As soon as it started snowing,I'd leave work for the day. And if I was home and I saw snow, I'd call my boss and tell her don't expect to see me today, I'm too scared to go out in this weather. Once in a while, they would be nice and still pay me for the day, but ususually I was out of luck. No work, no pay. Now I'm retired so I watch the pretty snowfall from my kitchen window.

I am the biggest chicken on winter roads.

I often wonder how the course of my life would have changed if I had realized how much I hated winter driving. I never thought about it when I was growing up - my Dad would drive in anything. Then I moved to Philly and became a pedestrian for the most part. I decided I wanted out of the city and I left in March. The next winter season I got up at 4am and went to the gym as usual and came out of the gym to a blizzard! I was so naive back then, I never even checked the weather before I left home in the morning. Now I'm glued to the television every morning.

I always say that I would never have left Philly if I had given any thought to winter driving and I believe that's probably true. It's probably best that I didn't think about it. Although, by the time I moved to where I live now, far from work, I knew about my aversion to winter driving so I guess I'm just an idiot.

Monica, what model Buick do you have? I have a 2003 LeSabre. Would that be considered a "big, heavy Buick?" I haven't had to drive in a lot of snow since I am retired and can choose to stay home if the weather is bad. Maybe the Buick would do the job. What do you say?
Dee in Michigan ;)

Please, folks, don't swear off of driving when a few snowflakes begin to fly.

It is important to learn how to drive in snow ... and on ice. As someone says, try driving, turning, braking and learning how to deal with a skid on an empty parking lot some day.

Don't let a snowfall get you all bent out of shape.

Millions of people drive in snow, and seldom get into fender benders ... or end up in the ditch: if they can, so can you!

Good wishes for learning to drive safely in a variety of situations.

ole joyful