nothing seemed out of the ordinary on the way in…
What time was everyone driving in at? The sun was barely breaking the horizon when I went in…
30 car pile-up in Rochester due to black ice. Awesome.
It normally takes me 35 min to get from East Aurora to Williamsville. Today was well over an hour. The 400 was a mess, and the 90 was parked until I got past the 190.
From the 290 entrance on NFB to the 90 split I watched 6 vehicles spin out and hit guardrails/ditches. I was directly behind a silver F-150, just past the 990 on ramp in the left lane. He hit a little ice, the truck slid a bit… nothing major. It must have scared him because he just SLAMMED on the brakes, and jackknifed right causing 3 other cars to slam into him. I can’t believe he didn’t take me out with him. This was at 6:50 this morning.
I was entertained not only by the asshats spinning out on the highway and causing my work commute to take an additional 45 minutes but the pure stupidity of people driving this morning. I fully support retesting of EVERYONE to keep their licenses every 5 years.
…Ice?
My 8AM drive was halted until 8:40 for a unrelated matter and I didnt even see a single indication of ice from the 90 to 290 to 990. People were driving unusually terribly however. I just assumed its how the 8:40 crew drives.
This was the highlight of my morning drive. Snapped a pic while stuck in non-moving traffic.
No zoom on iphone, unfortunately.
=D> I love when people put up with Buffalo winters for xyz years and still have no idea how to drive.
My car kicked out once going up hill with the sun shinning in my face and i was only in 4th gear, but i let off the gas and it straightened out right away. I think people get scared and over compensate and cause more problems.
i had to go from East Amherst to Gowanda…I saw 4 accidents on the 990…5 on the 290…1 on the 190 and 1 on the 90…it was insane…most were multi car…i was behind a pickup truck on the 990 and he hit some ice and got pretty sideway but recovered…i was like OH SHIT…so i let off the gas and coasted over that bridge
6:30 am
Most of the accidents were happening before the sun came up. Once that sun came up, most of the ice melted.
I left work right before sunrise. The parking lot felt very icy, I was slipping in every gear with brand new tires.
The 990S had a pickup that had driven off the on-ramp at North French, and blown out a tire somehow.
Half a mile up the road, there were no less than 4 cars sitting in the center ditch, and mud everywhere.
Its a pretty weird feeling when the front drive wheels slip when you are already doing 60mph… I bet all those people just panicked, and went into the ditch.
when i first got my Spec V it was a little wierd adjusting to the fact that both my wheels would spin…not just one like an open diff car
It doesnt matter how long youve been driving in Buffalo winters… you have to take preventative measures and be an “alert” driver when driving in the conditions like we saw yesterday. What I mean by this is if your going over a bridge dont sit on the accelerator, be aware of other cars around you and anticipate what they might do. I dont care what you say in that it is really difficult to deny the laws of physics. If you hit ice, your gonna lose control of your car. If your going into a turn and hit ice, your most likely not going to regain control…
What I can agree on is that understanding how to react in these situations, if you do feel the loss of control, can help you prevent an accident. Most all people do panic the moment they feel they are no longer in control. Getting your license shouldnt be as easy as it is…
All I was saying is, if you come outside to a sheet of ice on your car, due to the fact that it rained and then froze all night, chances are the roads are the same way. It’s not smart to go 80 in a 20 mph exit ramp when it’s coated in ice, or the tailgate the shit out of people. I think everyone just had the idea that winter was over and rode it out like they’ve been riding out the 50 degree days.
Fully understood