Colin Giersberg
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 p.1 #5 · I was in the 9 car pile up this morning (Pics inside!) | |
While we do not get enough snow down here in N. Alabama to worry about, when we do, we have those same problems. My advice, slow down. not trying to be critical, but 25 mph is too fast, especially when you can't see over a hill. Slow down and you will probably make it to where you were going.
Several years ago, I had the pleasure of driving in snow. My drive was 50+ miles one way, and there were several steep hills and sharp curves that I had to negotiate. With a lot of vehicles slid off the road onto the shoulder or into the median and several turned over onto their sides, I made it with only one problem, and that was a sideways slide on a 2-lane bridge after coming out of a sharp curve and down a hill at the same time. I made it off the bridge and back onto the road before I had a chance to hit the guardrail. After getting straight again, I met an 18 wheeler coming the other direction. We missed each other, but he was going way too fast for the conditions.
What I encountered on my drive included a delivery truck turned over onto its side in the median, a car up against a rock outcropping, several more cars on the side, in ditches, vehicles coming down a steep hill in the northbound lane. Some of them were turning around, and going south in the same lane. We (there were 6 of us in a Chevy Suburban) were going south, up the steep hill, in the southbound lane of the 4-lane highway that we were travelling on. I had one turn after getting on top of this hill, which was onto a two lane road. This road dead ended into the four lane. At this intersection, an 18 wheeler truck driver had tried to stop. He was on the 2-lane road going north and as he approached the 4-lane road, he had to stop. He slid through the intersection, and while he did make the left turn, he rolled the truck over.
Other than the bridge that I had issues with, our trip was uneventful. I had several bridges to cross, and several intersections to go through, one that required me to stop for a traffic signal. I anticipated the bridges by taking my foot off of the accelerator and slowing down even more, then coasting across the bridges. The intersection was handled the same way. I never spun my tires, never slid off of the road, just went diagonally across that one bridge, and only then because of the curve before the bridge. My speed never exceeded 25 mph, and I only got up to that speed when I could see a long way ahead. At bridges and intersections, I slowed down to around 15 mph, as a precaution.
If you anticipate any problems ahead, you should be fine, as long as you drive slow.
A co-worker once told me that if you don't know the road, then don't drive the speed. While you probably drive this road quite often, and you do know the road, you still did not know the conditions ahead. This applies to most people, and I will include myself in this too. I may have an accident tomorrow, but I will do everything in my power to avoid having one. That includes observing other drivers around me, and hanging back if they are weaving some. I pass only when I feel comfortable with the way they are driving, and then I get the pass over with as fast and safe as possible.
I'm glad that you did not get hurt worse than what you were. I would much rather arrive late, than be in an accident and not arrive at all. Please slow down when the road conditions get bad. Again, I am not being critical, even if it seems so. I apologize if it comes across that way, but my intentions are sincere. I give this advice to anyone willing to listen, simply because I see bad driving constantly when I am going to and am at work. By the way, I work for the Alabama Dept. of Transportation, and have done so for the last 30 years. I work on the roads, around paving crews. We have people speeding past us at 70+ mph, and we are standing less than 3' away from the traffic. One misstep on our part is fatal. By the way, the spped limit in the work zones is no more than 45 mph, and that is still too fast for you to stop if I or anyone else steps out in front of you, all because of a moments inattention. Do you want a fatality hanging over your head, just because you didn't want to slow down, or were talking on your cell phone, or playing with an IPOD, radio, or whatever. Please SLOW DOWN. Your life, and ours depends on it.
I am through with my rant now. Thanks for the photo essay. Maybe others will pay more attention to their driving in bad weather, as well as through construction zones, for what you posted, and for what I have had to say.
Regards, ALDOT, aka Colin
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, and in that case, you might as well walk.