On Thu, 18 Jan 2007 00:15:07 -0600, johac wrote
(in article <jhachmann-66D041.22150717012007@news.giganews.com>):

In article <45c5c8b4.301492984@news-west.newscene.com>,
cobalt@newscene.com (Kate ) wrote:

On Tue, 16 Jan 2007 22:47:57 -0800, johac <jhachmann@sbcglobal.com>
wrote:

In article <iftqq2pdl9vqbtr7ev0j030a9e469boqd5@4ax.com>,
stoney <stoney@the.net> wrote:

Click on "Traffic Pinball."
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16634187/

Jeeze! People should learn that when it's that slick, you need to stay
off the roads.

I imagine that's exactly what these people just learned.

ouch

Most people learn like that. The first time that happened to me, I only
skidded into a soft snow bank. No harm, no foul. But I did learn my
lesson.

When it happened to me, back about the winter of 1969, I bent my front axle,
which was expensive to repair. As soon as I got my car back I took it to the
nearest ice-covered empty parking lot to learn how to drive on ice. Every
winter since I have done the same, practice on ice in a safe place to keep my
driving on ice ability up to date.

Ice driving can be fun if you know what you are doing and know how you and
your car will react in different situations. It is just about the only thing
I like about winter, the roads.

No accidents in 36 years, other than the 2 times I was hit while on a
motorcycle and I was stopped in traffic. The first one I was hit by a car
that was hit by a car that was hit by the car that caused the accident. The
second I was stopped waiting for traffic to start moving when a moron got
into his parked car and backed out quickly without even looking behind him.
Both of these happened on dry roads in broad daylight.

I was safer riding a motorcycle on ice in the dead of night in the winter.

Hmm, which I did a heck of a lot of. Northeast Kansas winters can be loads of
fun on a bike.

Now icy rain was not much fun at all, you can get mighty cold that way.

johac wrote:

Most people learn like that. The first time that happened to me, I only
skidded into a soft snow bank. No harm, no foul. But I did learn my
lesson.

My first time to drive on ice was during a storm in 1989. My sister
and I were out together and she announced she had never driven on ice
before so I better take us home, as though I've not lived in south Texas
my whole life.
I actually got home with only a minor slide. I was afraid to make a
left turn I needed because there was oncoming traffic and I thought I'd
hit them, so I went up a block where there was no traffic and eased
through a U-turn. I lost control and very slowly swung around to bounce
off the curb, which left me pointing in the direction I wanted to be,
and in the correct lane. I felt quite smug.

johac wrote:

Most people learn like that. The first time that happened to me, I only
skidded into a soft snow bank. No harm, no foul. But I did learn my
lesson.

My first time to drive on ice was during a storm in 1989. My sister
and I were out together and she announced she had never driven on ice
before so I better take us home, as though I've not lived in south Texas
my whole life.
I actually got home with only a minor slide. I was afraid to make a
left turn I needed because there was oncoming traffic and I thought I'd
hit them, so I went up a block where there was no traffic and eased
through a U-turn. I lost control and very slowly swung around to bounce
off the curb, which left me pointing in the direction I wanted to be,
and in the correct lane. I felt quite smug.

I actually got home with only a minor slide. I was afraid to make a
left turn I needed because there was oncoming traffic and I thought I'd
hit them, so I went up a block where there was no traffic and eased
through a U-turn. I lost control and very slowly swung around to bounce
off the curb, which left me pointing in the direction I wanted to be,
and in the correct lane. I felt quite smug.