[Rick Craig]

I usually have a 35 minute commute but Wednesday it turned into three hours. Up until my college years I lived in Indiana and have seen plenty of snow in my lifetime. Never have I experienced anything like this - 1" of snow creating total gridlock  

It was like driving on a skating rink. We probably have more SUV's per capita than any other place in the country and obviously people don't know how to drive them. I was fortunate because for some people they were on the road 8-10 hours and cars were running out of gas. Some never made it home.

[jcoat007]

Sorry Double Post.

[jcoat007]

I was there on business and had no idea it was suppopsed to snow that day.  Someone was obviously looking after me, because my company rented me a Lincoln Navigator.  I put that baby in all wheel drive and spent a lot of time driving in lanes where opposing taffic would usually be and even up on the sidewalk at one point to go around all of the accidents.  The problem with most of the SUV's that I saw was that they were 2 wheel drive.  It was a real mess.  

After my meeting, I spent 2 hours trying to go 12 miles to the airport.  I missed my flight.   Finally got home around midnight, but should have been home around 7:00p.m.

[Carlman]

I waited to leave work around 8 and drove home cautiously.  I wanted to wait for the situation to clear and I got a lot of work done.  Some parts of the road were truly a sheet of ice.. some of it wet ice.  Other than those parts of the roads, there was no reason to go ultra-slow other than if I was behind someone petrified in fear of the dry pavement that had a little snow on either side... however, I have no real reason to complain.. my 55 minute commute was a 90 minute commute.. no big deal really.

I don't understand how people think.  I kept watching people spin their tires on all the new reports... that's the opposite of what you want to do.  Spinning your tires creates heat and wets the ice you're in.... making it more splippery.... It's like they think, "hmm it won't go, I'll push the pedal harder... THEN it'll go... "  or they're frustrated by the challenge... I don't know...

I saw the drivers as the reason for the problems... the news stations saw the city officials as the problem for not reacting quick enough... However, the only blame I put on city officials is creating a system where being a good follower is favored over thinking for yourself.  Oh, and lack of real education in schools.  However, that's a beef I have with the U.S. and not just Raleigh...  

One thing I thought was fairly nice is that the news covered some of the good deeds people did for each other either while stranded or having problems.

[mcgsxr]

Nothing against SUV drivers, but most of the time when I see them get into accidents during winter, it usually involves them overestimating their ability to BRAKE...

Just observations from a happy winter driver, in front wheel drive sedans - the only times I have been stuck, is when I have gone into places that my vehicle should not - hmmn, that reminds me of the OTHER time I see SUV drivers in trouble...

Sorry to hear about the crazy snow down there, we have some, but not too much, up here in Toronto.

[claud]

I went to lunch a little before noon about a mile from the office. I watched it snow while eating and wondered when the "flurry" was going to stop. On the way back to the office taking Wake Forrest Rd. , I saw a BMW X5 rear end another car. I called my office and told my two employees that they should go home because I was. Just past the BMW wreck, I tried to get on the Beltline to go home. After waiting 10 minutes and noticing that noone was moving up the ramp, I got out of line and went home on Millbrook Rd etc. Driving my 04 Acura TL automatic, I never had a problem, but like you guys, I passed a lot of people that were scared SH--less to be driving in the little snow and ice. The conditions turned nasty because the temps were in the low to mid 20s and instead of melting, the snow mashed by the cars turned to ice.
My employees ignored me and my secretary spent the night in the office, and the auditor got home at 12:30 that night. They tried to leave at 3:30 pm and could not get onto Wake Forrest Rd..