Sketchy snow driving situation - what’s the right etiquette/safe?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They did the right thing by blocking the road for the safety of folks helping. You could be decent and help.

DP here:
You’re telling me the right etiquette for when a car has issues in a snow storm is for all other traffic to stop, thereby likely causing more people to get stranded? That doesn’t sound right.

If a car is stuck in the middle of two lanes, and others are trying to help them get out then yes, their safety is paramount. Otherwise you’re going to have a car stuck in the middle of the road with minimal visibility, no warning to oncoming traffic, and large trucks traveling. That could cause a much larger accident. Waiting 10 or even 30 minutes is not that difficult if everyone can get out safely. OP thinks her tires are going to freeze in 25-30 degree weather after 5 freaking minutes. She’s honking, driving aggressively, blocking emergency vehicle lanes because she was impatient, road raging, and rather than pulling around to help out she gets the h out of dodge. She certainly doesn’t understand the local culture. She was ill prepared and too inexperienced to be driving on the mountain in the WV snow and shouldn’t have been there to begin with.

It wasn't stuck in the middle of two lanes, it had drifted into the median. The other cars in the caravan (U-Haul and RAV-4) were blocking the lanes. Even if the stranded car was blocking the lanes, I disagree with everything else you wrote. Blocking emergency vehicles? Road raging? OP honked and pulled around. And agree with a PP that getting out of there was more helpful than continuing to block the road or try to help an ill-prepared car continue on in worsening conditions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You probably should not have honked. You could have gotten out to either ask them to move or get the full story on why they were blocking the road. My assumption would be that they were blocking for the peoples safety.

But if you were able to safely pass them, I don’t see why you should’ve been prevented from doing so. I just think the honking and that situation might’ve been too aggressive.

Agree all around. I’m sure these folks were stressed and scared and honking does nothing to calm someone. But blocking the entire highway IS dangerous, and cars that can pass slowly should be allowed to do that.

When I lived in northern New England, I had flares in my car for stuff like this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You probably should not have honked. You could have gotten out to either ask them to move or get the full story on why they were blocking the road. My assumption would be that they were blocking for the peoples safety.

But if you were able to safely pass them, I don’t see why you should’ve been prevented from doing so. I just think the honking and that situation might’ve been too aggressive.

Agree all around. I’m sure these folks were stressed and scared and honking does nothing to calm someone. But blocking the entire highway IS dangerous, and cars that can pass slowly should be allowed to do that.

When I lived in northern New England, I had flares in my car for stuff like this.

OP here:
Fair enough, I now realize I should not have honked. My intention of that was for other cars to begin to progress slowly past the incident scene. I could clearly see that the other two vehicles in the caravan still had the ability to move (they repositioned their vehicles) and that there was plenty of space for other vehicles to slowly & safely pass.

My assessment of the situation was that it was going to get more dangerous the longer we waited at a standstill. Visibility was decreasing, light was fading, temps were going to get colder. We were stopped on an incline and I could see that the vehicle stopped directly in front of me was spinning its tires a bit and having issues with traction. The more that arrived and stopped, the more likely it was that there would be many stuck vehicles that would require emergency assistance. Hence why I drove around and left the scene, knowing that it was pointless to stick around and potentially contribute to a bigger emergency for first responders.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm trying to understand why you thought your wheels might freeze in place. I grew up in Colorado and have never heard of that. We drove to school, stores, friend's homes, etc. without concern of not being able to leave due to the car being stuck to the road.

It's extremely irresponsible of you to drive through 8-9 inches of snow in your vehicle.

Tires can freeze. It's more common on older tires with worn tread. If they are stopped in place, they will have a difficult time resuming traction especially if the snow and ice are already compacted into the shallow tread. They will become another vehicle stuck on the road for emergency services to handle if they cannot get enough traction to to resume driving up the incline.

https://www.wetrytires.com/can-tires-freeze/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm trying to understand why you thought your wheels might freeze in place. I grew up in Colorado and have never heard of that. We drove to school, stores, friend's homes, etc. without concern of not being able to leave due to the car being stuck to the road.

It's extremely irresponsible of you to drive through 8-9 inches of snow in your vehicle.

Tires can freeze. It's more common on older tires with worn tread. If they are stopped in place, they will have a difficult time resuming traction especially if the snow and ice are already compacted into the shallow tread. They will become another vehicle stuck on the road for emergency services to handle if they cannot get enough traction to to resume driving up the incline.

https://www.wetrytires.com/can-tires-freeze/

You just sent a link to an article written by someone who lives in a climate that rarely gets below freezing and got his information from message boards.

Did you park your car on a mat while parked in WV so your tires wouldn't freeze?

Nobody knows everything. Just educate yourself from reliable sources on winter driving and never drive arrogantly in bad road conditions.

[Anonymous]

NP - agree with PP or OP that said nobody has any business blocking all lanes of a highway. Safety first, then second, let cars pass thru safely and slowly. It's ridiculous to ever block everyone.

Even when cops and emergency vehicles do it, it's crazy. They always need to organize to get that trickle through or else there will be more emergencies. Yes.

[Anonymous]

I agree with OP. You need to keep moving on an incline or risk getting stuck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree with OP. You need to keep moving on an incline or risk getting stuck.

+1. The people who were blocking the road so no traffic could move were in the wrong. What if an emergency vehicle needed to get through. What if all these cars became stuck on the incline. Ridiculous. Anybody who could keep moving should keep moving.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't have honked but I would have gone around.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Eh, I'm team OP. At some point it's time to let the cars that can still travel pass. I live in NC and people are absolute idiots in bad weather. Unless it's just one slick spot, there isn't much point in trying to help an ill prepared vehicle travel in a snow storm, especially in the mountains. They should have done their best to push the car to the side and called a tow truck. They should not have been driving it without chains. Blocking the road for everyone makes no sense.

Same. Waiting once was enough. You can’t wait every 5 minutes for someone who doesn’t have their shirt together. The U-Haul and the rav should have given them a ride and left the car or headed back NOT hold others up as time was of the essence

[Anonymous]

I’m with OP. Those people were all idiots.


Anyone who pulls out to try and block me in the snow so I stay trapped there is gonna get rammed and pushed out of the way. I can drive in snow. I have a vehicle with good tires that is capable of driving in 12+ inches of snow. I’m not staying stuck behind some idiot who can’t drive in a vehicle with bad tires, on a multiple lane road. I’m going around them. Anyone trying to stop me by deliberately getting in front of me to force me to stop is going to get pushed aside.

[Anonymous]

The U-Haul and RAV4 were 100% at fault. It is not legal to drive on the wrong side of the road. It is not legal to voluntarily stop, stand, or park your vehicle in the middle of a road. There was no stop sign, stop light, or traffic police directing such behavior. The rules of the road don’t change with the weather.

This reminds me of the people that drive down the middle of two lanes during heavy snow ten KPH below the speed limit with hazards on so they can remain within the worn tracks of previous stupid and selfish drivers. Two wrongs don’t make a right. In such situations, I pick a lane, stay in it, and sideswipe the jerk straddling two lanes as I pass them. They’re at fault for illegally driving down the middle of two lanes.

[Anonymous]

Why the hell were you on the road in the first place?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why the hell were you on the road in the first place?

It’s 5 inches of snow. Are people supposed to shelter in place, lolz?

Properly equipped cars driven by skilled drivers can operate in snow just fine. OP has such a car, and has the requisite skill to drive it.

Why shouldn’t they be on the road? The question you SHOULD be asking is why we’re these other idiots on the road?


But you didn’t ask that, did you? Why?

[Anonymous]

People have no business barricading public roads so they can pursue a bumpkin solution to a problem they created instead of calling for competent help with proper equipment. You should have called the State Police.

That said, if you don’t want to encounter idiots on a snow clogged road, stay off the road regardless how great you think you and your vehicle are. Even military HMMV’s get stuck.