Why Is NJ Not Ready For Snow?

[HolyHandGrenade 0]

Let me preface this minor rant with the fact that my Neighbor just missed his driveway, missed a side road, and then crashed over my 110 year old stone retaining wall. He's fine, the wall is fine, his car is banged up. All in all, it turned out alright...

 

BUT, it was a front wheel drive car with no snow tires. Why do the majority of people here refuse to use snow tires? This is the north. It snows here. It's not a surprise. Happens regularly. Why not just be ready for it?

 

They're calling for what, 8" of snow here in NORTHERN NJ? State of emergency? Really? I'm from NH. It snows there a lot because, well, it's in the north. The difference? People are ready for it. It can snow two feet and there isn't a state of emergency. No highways closed, no panic.

 

I can see if you live in the South and you're not expecting it. Did I mention that snow here is a predictable, regular occurrence?

 

Venting complete!

[Night Prowler 0]

Problem isn't the tires it's the idiot behind the wheel that forgets you can't stop on a dime. Instead of letting off the brakes and turning around when you can they lock up the brakes and panic when they fly past their stop.

[RUTGERS95 890]

amen....lived in Vermont, now that place get's snow.  We've gotten progressively worse in this state with snow imho

[JackDaWack 2,895]

Other then the initial investment, it doesn't cost anything extra.. I live on a hill where snow tires are essential.. 2wd cars with snow tires might actually be better then 4wd w/ out. I know i have passed people in suvs stuck in a fwd coupe.

[Damjan 73]

Problem isn't the tires it's the idiot behind the wheel that forgets you can't stop on a dime. Instead of letting off the brakes and turning around when you can they lock up the brakes and panic when they fly past their stop.

This is exactly what s causing problems when snow hits NJ. I lived in a place that had a foot of snow on regular basis in winter and we had to use chains in winter-mandatory on any hill or mountain pass.

 

Yes, winter tires will help but they wont teach fools to use lower gears and control the car that way instead of stopping.

[T Bill 649]

Same thing happens when we have not had rain in a while. People forget how to drive in bad weather.  "All Season" tires are not.  But, people believe they are.  New drivers are not taught how to drive in snow. Over the years the average driver gets worse.  And finally, we tend to have smaller snowfalls over the years.  I remember  living in Essex County as a kid and having snowfalls of over 2 feet.  Have not seen one like that in a long time!

[HolyHandGrenade 0]

Problem isn't the tires it's the idiot behind the wheel that forgets you can't stop on a dime. Instead of letting off the brakes and turning around when you can they lock up the brakes and panic when they fly past their stop.

This is true, but the lack of preparedness is also a problem.

 

Point in fact: remember the freak October snow storm two years ago? We were at West Point for a football game when it started. Before we left the house I put my snow tires on. I wasn't going to because they weren't calling for a real storm. I figured, what the heck? I have them, might as well use them.

 

Long story short. While everyone else was stuck on the Parkway, we exited and made it home without issues on the side roads.

 

Granted, that storm was unexpected. However, it would've been the same in November because most aren't prepared anyway.

[HolyHandGrenade 0]

I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one. We live on a bad hill now, so we both have four wheel drives. I've been watching people not make it all night now. I love the ones that spin out, back up 10-20 feet on the exact same grade that they just spun out on, and try again... More than once!

[Duppie 73]

I lived in Norway where snow tires were mandatory after October 15'th,Drivers permits are a 2 part test involving a winter driving course including a skid pad and even 1 1/2 meters of snow would not shut down schools,airports or highways...I actually relish driving in this type of snow.

[TooBigToFit 2]

Preparedness is not in the dictionary of many NJ residents, if y'all haven't figured it out yet.

 

Major storm coming? Buy all the flashlights and batteries in sight. Every single time. What happened to the ones from the previous storm?

 

Lots of snow coming? Buy a snowblower 2 hours before!

 

Icy roads? Wing it, slam on brakes futilely, as needed.

[Springfield1911 22]

The issue isn't snow tires but the fact that people just don't get new tires soon enough. All season tires are just fine if you know how to drive but you cant wait until the tread is down to nothing. 

[AS350Driver 56]

Other then the initial investment, it doesn't cost anything extra.. I live on a hill where snow tires are essential.. 2wd cars with snow tires might actually be better then 4wd w/ out. I know i have passed people in suvs stuck in a fwd coupe.

 

That's because people in suv's get a false sense of security, thinking their invincible. 4wd gets you moving easier, but it doesn't help you stop.

[Night Prowler 0]

This is true, but the lack of preparedness is also a problem.

 

Point in fact: remember the freak October snow storm two years ago? We were at West Point for a football game when it started. Before we left the house I put my snow tires on. I wasn't going to because they weren't calling for a real storm. I figured, what the heck? I have them, might as well use them.

 

Long story short. While everyone else was stuck on the Parkway, we exited and made it home without issues on the side roads.

 

Granted, that storm was unexpected. However, it would've been the same in November because most aren't prepared anyway.

Oh that. Welcome to NJ. That's just the mentality of people in this state. Nobody can think for themselves. Why should they worry about something as silly as tires when the state will save us.

Big problem is people are to stupid anymore to know their own limitations or their vehicles. If you don't have the skills to drive in this stuff stay home. The people in SUVs are bad. There is way to many people putting it in 4x4 as soon as their is a coating on the road. These are the same people you see spun out in the median or in the ditch.

[HolyHandGrenade 0]

That's because people in suv's get a false sense of security, thinking their invincible. 4wd gets you moving easier, but it doesn't help you stop.

Preparedness is not in the dictionary of many NJ residents, if y'all haven't figured it out yet.

 

Major storm coming? Buy all the flashlights and batteries in sight. Every single time. What happened to the ones from the previous storm?

 

Lots of snow coming? Buy a snowblower 2 hours before!

 

Icy roads? Wing it, slam on brakes futilely, as needed.

You're absolutely right. People have made snarky comments because I keep 25 gallons of fuel on hand. I put fuel stabilizer in it and rotate every 3 months. I also run my generator once a week and switch out the fuel in it every three months. My reply to the snarky comments? "Remember Sandy?" Doesn't do any good to have a generator if it won't run, or you can't get fuel. Same principle as the snow tires. I just pour the fuel into my cars and refill my cans. In this case it literally doesn't cost anything extra to have the fuel n hand.

[Duppie 73]

What has astounded me is the amount of car owners who lease or buy that premium vehicle, usually rear wheel drive who have no concept of summer performance tires and it's limitations....until that first winter storm and a slight incline.

[jm1827 284]

I grew up in north west Jersey and we wouldn't flinch at anything less than 12 inches of snow.  People either had 4wd or snow tires or even chains and life went on just fine.

 

Now, 20+ years later living in Monmouth county, anything more than 4 inches of snow cripples the entire county.

 

Go figure.

[HolyHandGrenade 0]

What has astounded me is the amount of car owners who lease or buy that premium vehicle, usually rear wheel drive who have no concept of summer performance tires and it's limitations....until that first winter storm and a slight incline.

Just reminded me of the guy I saw out in his new Camaro in the last storm. Don't get me wrong, it's a cool car. It wasn't looking so cool stuck on the slight incline leading up to the stop light though!

[mikka1 2]

This kind of reminds me of my home city of Moscow in mother Russia, LOL. It's north there. Freezing temperatures sometimes last for 3+ months in a given year. Almost EVERY year. Yet _every_ f**king winter the day it starts snowing for the first time is a day of citywide transportation collapse. The whole city just gets stuck in endless traffic jams. Municipal services in charge of cleaning roads are not prepared as it has AGAIN been soooo unexpected - really, who expects snow in Moscow in December?!...

That very day people form huge lines to local tire shops to change their summer tires to winter ones, but there are still people who drive throughout the winter using summer (even not all-season) tires. Ashamed to tell, but I did it once as well on FWD car which was quite a remarkable experience, LOL. But now I'm not afraid to end up in French Alps without chains or winter tires in a rented car as that kind of experience is one that's not easy to forget...

[raz-0 1,259]

It's not been so long since deep snow. 2009 and 2010.

 

I think part of it is that getting practice is a huge pita these days. When I was a teenager, if it snowed, I dragged my butt out to the local mall parking lot overnight to practice in the unplowed lots at the edges of the parking. They seem much more aggressive about clearing early and often than they used to be.

 

As for chains, getting ones that work with alloy wheels of 17" and up is hard or impossible. At least it used to be, I haven't looked recently. That rules out chains for a LOT of cars.

 

Then there's the less snow thing. They make a bigger deal out of smaller snowfalls so they can toot their own horns and stick to the ethos if spend out your budget or lose it.

 

 

 

[Parker 213]

Many people in this area have become helpless, or maybe the "good life" for many has made them that way; reliant on others. Some are just soft.

 

Whenever it snowed like this my Dad would pile us all in his car after work and take us to the golf courses in our area to toboggan and sleigh ride when we were kids. How my Dad got us anywhere in his technically inferior, no limited-slip, no anti-lock braked 1950 DeSoto is a mystery. He was a big proponent of chains then.

[HolyHandGrenade 0]

Many people in this area have become helpless, or maybe the "good life" for many has made them that way; reliant on others. Some are just soft.

 

Whenever is snowed like this my Dad would pile us all in his car after work and take us to the golf courses in our area to toboggan and sleigh ride when we were kids. How my Dad got us anywhere in his technically inferior, no limited-slip, no anti-lock braked 1950 DeSoto is a mystery. He was a big proponent of chains then.

You're right about that. I'm surprised by how unable some here are to take care of themselves. If there comes a day where they cannot PAY someone to do things for them, what will they do? Do people not find satisfaction in doing things themselves anymore?

[Mr.Stu 1,916]

Driving in snow is the one area where Darwin was wrong. By rights this should be a self-correcting phenomenon. Maybe cars are just too safe these days and crashes are too survivable.

 

Sent from my SCH-I800 using Tapatalk 2

 

 

[deerpark 83]

People refuse to drive slowly. 

 

My tires could be bald and I wont wreck. 

[Malice4you 627]

Living in a very hilly area full of curvy roads with a RWD car, I'm seriously reconsidering my stance that my 'winters' be high performance all season tires (Bridgestone Potenza RE970 Pole Position).  Up until a few years ago, I lived in an area where I could get away with running all seasons in winter.

 

The problem is, I cannot stand how crappy the grip is on the snow tires I've tried (Bridgestone Blizzak LM33) during the 99% of times I'm driving on them where there ISN'T snow on the road, which is why I have run all seasons for winter.  I do have a 3rd set of [unused] rims, maybe I should get winters for the original rims for November-February, all seasons for early spring and fall for the 16"s I run for winter now, and then cherish every precious moment on those wonderful summer tires (Dunlop Direzza ZII) and rims during the summer...

 

I'm always more worried about the other drivers on the road.  I can drive in snow, and probably annoy people who think they are invincible in their SUVs; since I drive under the speed limit when there's snow on the road, and anticipate what's coming up on the road.  I do however like to take every advantage of any benefits I can give myself while driving the car I have, while I save up for something more appropriate for the terrain around here.

 

 

My guess is that everyone has to race out to the supermarket to buy milk and bread (and flashlights) for Snowmageddon ___, to beat out every other person in the tri-state area also out for the basic supplies they already have at home...  If they have to hit 100mph in 3" of snow and ice to beat out everyone else, so be it...they have an SUV, so they don't have to be careful!

[Krdshrk 3,877]

Other then the initial investment, it doesn't cost anything extra..

 

Not exactly - what about storage?  I don't have space for an extra set of wheels/tires... Store 'em in my living room?  No thanks.... 

[ktd1597 10]

I agree with everything everyone has said about NJ drivers, but I'd like to make one more observation when comparing upper New England States with NJ.  NJ has a crushing population per square mile and when you put that many cars/suvs on the road at the same time it will be much more worse than the relatively sparsely populated upper States.

[mipafox 438]

Driving in snow is the one area where Darwin was wrong. By rights this should be a self-correcting phenomenon. Maybe cars are just too safe these days and crashes are too survivable.

 

Sent from my SCH-I800 using Tapatalk 2

Here is the problem with applying Darwin to modern human society. Even the dumbest, worst parents tend to keep their demon spawn alive several years past breeding age. And the dumber you are, the earlier and more often you procreate. So, by the time most idiots get a few good chances to off themselves, they already have 2 or 3 baby mommas and corresponding broods of new mongoloids belly flopping into our gene pool.

[Malsua 1,422]

The main reason this storm is a big deal is because it's too cold for the salt to affect the roads to properly clear it to pavement.   Add in the winds and you get snow covered roads.  Even during big storms in the previous 10 years, the plows and salters can get down to clear pavement a few hours after the storm is done.  This time, they're going to have to scrape the crap out of every road.

 

My Subaru gets around very well in this snow.  I use all season Continental Extreme contact DWS tires.  They are the grippiest tires I've used in every condition.

 

I grew up in the snow belt in Ohio and it was normal to wake up to 6-10 inches that wasn't even predicted.  The difference was people knew how to drive on snow covered roads because the county maintained the roads so poorly.

 

Here in NJ, people expect dry pavement 10 minutes after the snow stops and frankly, there's so much traffic around here, the plows have to keep the roads clear or it's chaos.

[Sell682 1]

This is a great topic because it's so true that NJ people are rarely prepared.

 

As mentioned in an earlier post what do people so with all the batteries, flashlights and snow shovels after a snow storm that they need to panic buy before every storm? I have had the same shovel for 6 years and flashlights I can't remember...also it's going to snow for 12 hours not 4 days why do people have to clear out the shelves.

 

This is a great video for this storm

 

 

[TooBigToFit 2]

My Subaru gets around very well in this snow.  I use all season Continental Extreme contact DWS tires.  They are the grippiest tires I've used in every condition.

Heh, got the same tires on my Subaru Legacy GT. Best pair of all season I've had yet, though I haven't tried dedicated winter tires yet (too much of a headache with TPMS).