Surely this is no issue at all, because everyone will reduce their speed, increase safety distances, drive more carefully and when in doubt, yield to others, right?
This makes me think, what happens in countries like the Netherlands that use "shark teeth" markings on the street mostly in addition but partially instead of yield signs... either chaos or everybody is driving more carefully (unlikely)
or wondering if the light up ahead is a vehicle ... or the gates of heaven because you already died in that fiery 12 car pile up on the highway a minute ago.
It's the biggest religion on the planet. Everyone believes the lines protect them. As long as everyone believes that, it works. But when you need help the most, it does nothing to protect you. It's just lines on some pavement, the people are the ones with all the power.
Rouds have material manifestations. The ground is different so driving there makes a difference. But historically, streets were the empty space between houses until the car industry lobbied to get the pedestrians out of the way.
4 wheel or all wheel drive is a lifesaver if you live where it snows often. I've pulled so many cars and 2 wheel drive trucks out of the snow with my truck. It's fun, and I enjoy helping.
I’d probably do the same if I had a four wheel drive vehicle, but it doesn’t snow too often where I live so my little 2wd ranger performs just fine. Sandbags in the bed, drive slowly and deliberately, and keep a set of chains when shit really gets bad. It bugs me how some people in my area have a mindset where they think they need four wheel drive in the snow. No you don’t, you just can’t drive like a moron.
It's been pretty awesome here in Calgary. Was getting worried there that ski season was going to be delayed. But I love a good snow dump to start winter. It sucks when it's cold and icy but no snow to cover things up.
Probably sucks for anyone that has to commute right now though.
It's not a joke .... I drove on winter ice roads on James Bay for a few years about 15 - 20 years ago before they became well built ice roads they have now.
I remember driving on these roads in blinding snowstorms and losing the road entirely. The road up there mostly goes over frozen treeless swamps ... it's like driving through endless frozen lakes. There were also times where the road became so overfilled with drifting snow that it was better to go off the road and just drive the frozen wind packed open swamplands.
And that corridor on Highway 11 in Ontario between Huntsville, Orillia, Barrie is reminiscent of those winter ice roads if you ever up there during a blinding windy snow storm.
as someone from Florida (USA) who has only ever seen snow once on a winter trip, literally every few months I learn something horrific about snow that makes it seem a little bit worse
Last months was that the salt that melts snow can essentially melt cars metal over enough time
Then it was that there's invisible 'black ice'
Now paint lines literally don't exist?! How do you exist over there? I'm literally dieing in like 50°F weather (10°C)
Even during the summer the lines are usually faded away so even on good nights you can barely see them. And because of plows no reflectors like down south.
Oh 10°C sounds so nice right now. Short answer is drive more cautiously, you can get undercoated for the salt issue and black ice is just hope and pray.
The worst is when it's a 2 lane highway and the snow on the shoulder starts slowly encroaching into your lane. You're never quite sure if you're being pushed into oncoming traffic or not.
I have the option to work from home, and I understand that not everyone has this privilege, which makes my comment come across as somewhat inconsiderate.
I get excited about getting to use my 4 wheel drive and make up excuses to drive to the store. "Oops, I think we need more gas for the generator. Be back in 3 hours!"
I kinda like it because it makes it feel like we are flying at warp eight to the next star system .... then I have not snap out of that fantasy and remember that this could also kill me
I don't mind the roads so much. We plow the roads to have a snowbank on the ditch edges to act as bumpers to keep idiots and fools from careening off the road into a tree. As a retired medic, it made it easier to get people out of their cars and with less serious injuries.
What really pisses me off is the inability of people to park correctly in a parking lot. When the lines get covered in snow pack, everyone loses their minds and just start to randomly park anywhere and in any direction. I've seen clown park across two parking spots. And it stays that way for a least 6 months out of the year.
We play this game in South Africa too. Not because it snows, but because the lines don't get repainted soon enough even if they're completely faded. And instead of snow ploughs, we have taxis (the minibus versions) that just drive wherever and however they want.