Boy, there's nothing quite like having your mortality sneak up on you!

It happened this morning on my job. We had both snow and freezing drizzle in Connecticut, and I had to drive my delivery truck (a Nissan Exterra) down a very, very steep hill.

About halfway down, the damned thing fishtailed. No matter what I did, I could not get the Exterra to straighten out. It spun around and the driver's side slammed into a snowbank. I felt the passenger's side wheels leave the ground. I thought for sure the Exterra would flip over onto its side, but it remained upright.

I sat there for a couple of minutes, hyperventilating as my heart pounded like the drum solo in "Wipe Out." Once I had sufficiently calmed down, I drove the truck out of the snowbank with no difficulty. (Let's hear it for 4-wheel drive!) I got out and inspected the Exterra, which showed no signs of damage. So I got back in and finished my route, though my legs felt like wet noodles.

My experience this morning could have been a lot worse, but it still scared the shit out of me. Suffice it to say, I'm glad to be home now!

It's quite unnerving, isn't it?

We had some freezing drizzle here yesterday as I was driving from Milwaukee to Madison. Suddenly all the traffic stopped- there had been an accident not far ahead of me, involving four vehicles. Nobody seemed hurt, but what a mess, and it could have been worse. One set of bad tires and everything can turn to disaster.

airport in Milwaukee, and he said there were accidents all the way up along I-94...

I had a Dorothy/Wizard of Oz moment in my Dad's 4 wheel drive in upstate NY in the 70's. I had even stopped at the top of the hill and put the jeep in 1st gear and tried coasting down the hill. I went into a spin, took out a fence and went over a 20 foot bank into a pasture. I landed on all 4 and drove out, but I just held onto the steering wheel with my feet flat on the floor (no brakes), and when I landed it sounded like all my windows broke, but it was just Dad's toolbox. Know all about that weak kneed feeling!

of the hill and I had to avoid him, ended up over a snow bank and hill in someones entry road on the other side...I was in a 3/4 ton cargo van....All I said was damn, it figures some asshole cop is going to do me in....

This was a narrow country road.

getting studded snow tires was the only safe way to drive down hills.

When studded snows became hard to get I learned the into the snow bank method of stopping used by Jeeps in Vermont - and apparently by Nissan Exterras in Conn! :-)

I'm glad every thing worked out well!

I can still hear the "vocal" in "wipeout" -

now how do I get that out of my head?

:-)

OK - I will play the Venture"s "Walk Don't Run" and see if that helps!

I have to drive thirty miles to work in this shit, at 6 A.M....

It was even worse than usual today since there were hardly any plows out (Presumably because of the Holiday) I'm sick of risking my life just to get to work everyday.

I really feel for you man.

increased insurance for 3 years, and the hassle of putting in claims and waiting, going and getting rental etc. - I came out cheaper risking getting fired and calling in sick on really bad days....

I've had several of those moments. I always feel that I am meant to live for a while though, after it. I am glad that you made it alright.

Driving in weather like that sounds like no fun at all - I couldn't do it. I've never driven in snow (or really even seen snow)!

Glad you're ok NightTrain!

PS - it was 80 degrees here in Houston today! :P

In Iowa I drove home at 20 Mph with snow blowing so hard that I could not see my hood ornament.
A couple years ago I did the fishtail thing on a hill in Missouri during some freezing rain. I am not sure how I stayed on the road, but I eventually hit a guard rail. Nothing more than a little bumper damage, but when I drove down the road, I came to a more serious accident that I missed by how many minutes? If I had not hit the guard-rail and been "delayed", would I have been in that other accident? I had to wonder.
It turned out to my own damned fault anyway, since my tires were totally shot.

If so, you may need to update your recovery technique...in a vhecle with ABS, you no longer have to do the old "stay off the brakes and steer into the skid" routine; the mantra with ABS is "stomp and steer."

Exactly what is sounds like --mash the brakes hard enough to trigger the ABS and you should get steering control.

If you live where it snows and don't have a vehicle with ABS, you should get one. could save your life.

Also, do you have winter tires? I've noticed that VERY few people in Connecticut do. They would be a very worthy invesments for you if you have to drive every day.

"All-season" tires really are worthless as winter tires.

Redstone

I would suggest that a good place to practice would be a big, empty parking lot. I learned some pretty good handling moves putting my car through the paces in all kinds of weather, by doing 'twistees' in parking lots.

Keep the shiny side up!