Proper chains are illegal in this country for road use.
Driving in snow
- Thread starter Crankarm
- Start date
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OP
OP
Crankarm
Guru
- Location
- Nr Cambridge
I learnt to drive in snow and ice. Then did a lot of driving in mud.
I don't have a problem with driving in varying conditions, nor the locations and number of driven wheels on a vehicle.
The main reason is that I take the time to learn about the abilities of each vehicle I have driven, in the conditions I am to drive them in, and then to apply that learning and knowledge appropriately.
However, some people seem unable to do that with any level of effectiveness.
Wadda u expect, it's an Audi.
OP
OP
Crankarm
Guru
- Location
- Nr Cambridge
Says who? Souce please.
- Location
- The TerrorVortex
Plus, Germany and Austria have the Alps. We don't.
I don't like driving in snow, so I walk everywhere when it's as snowy as this . It's only for a few days.
I don't like driving in snow, so I walk everywhere when it's as snowy as this . It's only for a few days.
Radchenister
Veteran
- Location
- Avon
OP
OP
Crankarm
Guru
- Location
- Nr Cambridge
Black Sheep
Guru
- Location
- Rammy
It took me three days, including tests to get my full motorbike license. However, I had been riding for 4 months on a CBT and L plates on my own bike which I then used for my test.
Had I needed to do my CBT as well, it would have taken a week.
This is where it comes down to the training school to assess and correct rider behaviour so that they do ride safely, too many riders get their CBT without taking away any road knowledge and are hesitant when riding, in a bad way.
Ironically, friends who've done the intensive course have either not crashed or had fewer or minor incidents than friends who spread out their tuition over a longer period of time.
OP
OP
Crankarm
Guru
- Location
- Nr Cambridge
What relevance has your post to driving in snow?
Black Sheep
Guru
- Location
- Rammy
It has the same relevance that Arch's post has, as a side debate to driving in adverse weather conditions, Arch was commenting that she felt it a bad thing that it's possible to get a driving licence within a few weeks, I was adding to her point about being allowed to drive without experience in bad weather, the fact that many motorbike licenses are acquired in a single week, often in the summer where the weather is normally very good, and possibly not even a single drop of rain. As such you get many people unable to adapt their riding or driving style to bad weather conditions with obvious results and that I agree, perhaps requiring to show competence in poor conditions is required as part of the test or with motorbikes, to lift a power restriction placed on your license.
having said that, many motorbike tests get cancelled due to heavy rain.
OP
OP
Crankarm
Guru
- Location
- Nr Cambridge
Black Sheep
Guru
- Location
- Rammy
Light weights.
One of the guys who was training with me had his test the day before mine, his was cancelled due to the rain and he was really annoyed by it, we'd spend all morning (starting at 8.30) riding on a mix of roads with no problems, the instructors couldn't see the sense in cancelling it. Mine the next day was dry.
one thing that annoys me with driving in snow is people who grit using the grit bins but seem to think it has to be used in the shovel full, so you get soggy slippy red stuff all over the road instead of slippy white stuff and none left to grit anywhere else.
that and people not clearing snow off their cars, just seen an older fiesta with a bonnet full of snow, surely the driver is aware that the snow is just going to keep blowing into his own windscreen and if he brakes quickly he's just going to dump a load of snow onto an otherwise clear road.
SquareDaff
Über Member
- Location
- Doncaster, South Yorkshire
Throw in a session on a skid pan as part of the driving test. I agree there's a great many drivers out there can't/don't know how to handle any environment where traction isn't optimium.
To further tie into the OP's post - I used to be one of those "youths" tearing around a car park deliberately sliding in the snow. I suppose the difference was that my car park was empty - so the only car I was going to damage was mine. Learnt me how to control a car in the stuff though - and when I had my life or death moment a few years back instinct took over and I managed to bring my car to a halt without running off the road or hitting anything/anyone.
To further tie into the OP's post - I used to be one of those "youths" tearing around a car park deliberately sliding in the snow. I suppose the difference was that my car park was empty - so the only car I was going to damage was mine. Learnt me how to control a car in the stuff though - and when I had my life or death moment a few years back instinct took over and I managed to bring my car to a halt without running off the road or hitting anything/anyone.
Berties
Fast and careful!
i drive in this weather in a four wheel drive on AT tyres,no problems have driven on winter tyres all ok but limited traction on ice pulling off,drove hundreds of miles in norway on snow studs,i was taught to drive in the snow and ice on a fjord you just went forward got into a braked skid and had to get out it, all tyres have their attributes but if you loose respect for mother nature then you get caught out,i always liked the volvo bv in the deep snows no stopping tracks!!!!
I wouldn't want to drive on roads to far with mud tyres but i've seen a few 4x4 find ditches on the road with them on in the rain
I wouldn't want to drive on roads to far with mud tyres but i've seen a few 4x4 find ditches on the road with them on in the rain
totallyfixed
Veteran
- Location
- The only county without a McDonalds
Many years ago I lived in Berlin which used to get some very severe winters, anyway, one particular winter my parents came over from the UK. I picked them up from the airport and drove them carefully through the snow back to the house. Dad thought I was being overly cautious so on the way back I took them via the Olympic Stadium, the car park there was huge, empty and sloping. I recall we were in a VW Beetle, after seeing the stadium I set off down the car park, not that fast really, gave a half turn on the steering wheel and pulled hard on the handbrake, after what must have been 5 or 6 complete spins I corrected it and calmly drove out of the car park. Not a word was said for the remainder of the drive until we were getting out of the car when dad remarked "still a novice then". Mum was a nutter and wanted to do it again.
I change my corsavan alloy wheels from 205/50/r16 summer tyres to steel 185/70/r14 winter tyres normally on or about the start of november for about the last 6 years as i get to drive over half of scotland through work and if the winters get me home once, they have earned there keep, isles, glencoe southern uplands, etc
In 2011 the central belt (M8) got hammered with snow at commuting time (and ended up taking days to clear), I made it into my office on a roads over 32 miles (having heard motorway was grinding to a halt) with about 2-3 inches of snow on the road at an average speed of about 45mph so arrive about 1/2 hour later than normal, and also made it home again when office was abandoned at 1400 and the snow was 6 inch on average but some spots were 8 inches or slightly more at about 25-30mph and took twice as long to get home.
Normal cars, required push starts up hills, digging out etc to get them going and had to take flat restrictive routes and quite a few colleagues had to take temporary lodgings with friends and family. The snow was about for well over a week and for 5 days I got so much done at work as no one else (even if they lived only a few miles away) could get in.
Would recommend winter tyres to everyone.
In 2011 the central belt (M8) got hammered with snow at commuting time (and ended up taking days to clear), I made it into my office on a roads over 32 miles (having heard motorway was grinding to a halt) with about 2-3 inches of snow on the road at an average speed of about 45mph so arrive about 1/2 hour later than normal, and also made it home again when office was abandoned at 1400 and the snow was 6 inch on average but some spots were 8 inches or slightly more at about 25-30mph and took twice as long to get home.
Normal cars, required push starts up hills, digging out etc to get them going and had to take flat restrictive routes and quite a few colleagues had to take temporary lodgings with friends and family. The snow was about for well over a week and for 5 days I got so much done at work as no one else (even if they lived only a few miles away) could get in.
Would recommend winter tyres to everyone.
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