Who does the driving on snow ?

[Frederick]

 As the 4 inches of snow we have had in the UK resulted in many  " stay at homes " .and today being told about female staff shortages last  Friday at a company  I visited . I  was wondering if driving on snow was more of a " Bloke " thing  as we don't mind if the back slides a bit .  I notice my wife leaves her car  well alone and expects me to drive her  when the roads are ice covered ..... So am I right ladies ?  Do you take the car out onto the snow  ?   Or does it scare you ?

[YCCMB]

Just done a 40 mile round trip this morning to buy some ceramics supplies, went out yesterday in a blizzard to the shops. Left the car at home on Friday but then it was easier to go where I wanted to go by train. If I depended on my OH to drive me places in the snow I'd be housebound. Mind you, some of the other drivers on the roads DO scare me. Clearly there are plenty of people about who not only don't mind of the back slides a bit, but would be quite happy to end their own lives and take a few other people out with them!

[Val_2]

No snow, no problem. Last time we had some snow in Dec 2010, no one moved in our village until the farmers got together and cleared the roads as there is no snow plough or gritting lorries around here in the sticks. People just stay put and do not go to work unless they are essentials like nurses and doctors.Even the wheels on meals van didn't come for a few days to our neighbour.

[idun]

When we first got to France my husband hadn't passed his driving test, so I drove everywhere, up to ski stations, to Austria, to the Italian Alpes in mid winter.

I have been on a snow and ice driving course, on my way up to it, I took the wrong turn and ended up on sheet ice all the way up the mountain. The instructor asked me what I would do if I hit any snow and ice on my way down and I said I'd avoid it. So descending I took the proper main road which had been cleared apart from one bit of the road and the snow and ice was on my side. As nothing was behind me and nothing coming up the mountain, I went into the left hand lane and drove around the snow and ice, doing exactly as I had told the instructor.

These days I detest driving in snow and ice. I hate it most in the UK as so few people have snow tyres or chaines and add to that that people simply do not know how to drive in the snow and ice.

And in 2010 when I was driving in late January in the very bad weather and lost my back end.......... my husband screamed like a piggy having it's throat cut, it is very off putting. He tends to squeal, when I am driving and yet I am a pretty good driver.........not me who says that, but friends............ and them saying that was quite unsolicited by me.

[Rabbie]

As Mrs Rabbie is Swedish she has had plenty of practice of driving on snow. In the UK there is rarely any need for chains provided you have good tyres. It's just a question of adjusting your speed to the conditions

[BIG MAC]

And short shifting, clutch blending, no sudden moves...

[Chancer]

Try telling that to the people who I have depanned this week, all of them had chosen to park on snow rather than waddle their fat butts 25 meters, OK their choice but if they choose to park on snow they should at least have some clue how to drive off, wheels spinning wildly, one doing so in reverse whilst on full lock, another whose brakes were smoking where the traction control was fighting against them having the pedal to the metal.

These were all of the fairer sex but I have seen several guys doing the same opposite where I live, I should point out that the girls I helped I knew, one phoned me for help the other I saw whilst passing trying to dig her way out with a shovel, in each case I drove the car out without any assistance mats or shovelling etc.

Mind you they say trop bon trop con, while I was doing this another one drove into my car and smashed my indicator.

The best one was a young Spanish friend working temporarily at the lycée, a long way from home, help and friends, she asked me if I had jump leads as her Fiesta diesel wouldnt start, she thought the battery was dead, the voltage looked OK so I discreetly asked her if she knew about glowplugs, preheating and the warning light, she didnt [:D]

The car started fine and the good news is she doesnt need a new battery, when she is back in Barcelona she can forget all about waiting for the glowplugs to preheat as well [;-)]

One common factor in all these cases was the radio/CD player was blasting at high volume, I know that women can multi-task but I cant extricate a car from snow/ice or even start one where the battery is close to flat with all that going on in the background, come to think of it the one that hit me was the same as was the young girl that ran up the back of me really hard a few years back writing off both vehicles.

Just to even it out there are plenty of Kevins (they call them Jacky's here!) that hoon up and down the road with their windows open making public performance of boom boom noises that are allegedly music.

[dave21478]

Never underestimate the stupidity of humanity.

http://s13.postimage.org/i8sejbz07/bmwfail.jpg

[dave21478]

Obviously, you will need to cut n paste that address as nobody will have done anything about the forum not working with one of the largest browsers available.

[Frecossais]

I'm sorry to say that I'm a bit of a snow wimp these days, and I let OH drive.

But a few years ago when he was in hospital in France after cracking his pelvis falling off our stairs, I had to drive in the snow to go to see him every day, and one day when I had parked on the grass, my wheels wouldn't grip and I went and got two planks of wood and pushed them under the tyres. I was pretty pleased with myself that day![:D]

[Chancer]

You parked on the grass in winter [blink][blink]

And at a hospital [:-))]

I get cross with people that park on the pavement or grass verges even in summer.

I made the mistake of visiting Tescos on Christmas eve, I had given up on one as the roads were blocked all around it with queuing and parked cars so visited another before realising why the car park was full, I have to own up I didnt even know what day Christmas was [:(]

Anyway the second Tesco had two very large car parks, the second one being a short walk but too much for the lard ar5es and there were cars parked on all the grass verges particularly 4*4's as they had deliberately made the banks and kerb quite high to prevent this, I was saddened to see that they were completely churned up where people had been parking there all year round, and I mean completely churned up, it had turned pleasant landscaping into a WWI battlefield.

Apologies if I have misread and it was at your own home, nonetheless its not a good idea to park on the grass except for occasionally in summer.

[PaulT]

[quote user="dave21478"]Never underestimate the stupidity of humanity. http://s13.postimage.org/i8sejbz07/bmwfail.jpg [/quote]

Like it, like it. Probably wears his underpants on the outside of his trousers.

[powerdesal]

''I have to own up I didnt even know what day Christmas was ''

I'm pretty certain it's always on December 25th.

[idun]

[quote user="Chancer"]

You parked on the grass in winter [blink][blink]

And at a hospital [:-))]

I get cross with people that park on the pavement or grass verges even in summer.

[/quote]

On our dreadful holiday in Normandy, there was a war museum we fancied visiting and the parking fees were extortionate, cannot remember how much, something like the equivilent of a £1 for 10 minutes. The car park was just about empty and some poor soul had parked on the verge of the road not too far from the museum. However, the verge was sandy and the sand bank had given way and the car had fallen in the fosse.

I did feel for them, I cannot say I like people parking on verges, but in this case, I couldn't blame anyone not wanting to be royally ripped off.

[Frecossais]

[You parked on the grass in winter [blink][blink]]

Chancer, it was outside my house, I haven't got hard standing. I could have put the car in the barn I suppose, but I can't get the doors shut, (arms too short to pull the two doors together.)

[Chancer]

I cant get the garage doors or the side gate open because of the snowdrifts!

Mind you the garage is full of toot, not many people use them for cars these days.