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Most drivers can't handle a Michigan winter. I just drove from Lansing to Grand Rapids in this weather we had today, and there were four cars off the road in th
by freehunter 10y ago
Most drivers can't handle a Michigan winter. I just drove from Lansing to Grand Rapids in this weather we had today, and there were four cars off the road in the span of a dozen miles. Front-wheel drive cars on straight roads, too. They didn't just spin out, those drivers had to seriously mis-handle their vehicle to wind up in the ditch.
That being said, the "self driving" part of my car (cruise control) turns itself off when the wheels slip already, so I agree that I could handle a car that drove itself in good weather but punted back to me in the snow. Vision-imparing snowfall is actually a more rare event than people might think. Normally the roads are quickly cleared.
- grzm 10y agoMost drivers can't handle a Michigan winter. I just drove from Lansing to Grand Rapids in this weather we had today, and there were four cars off the road in the span of a dozen miles. A lot of drivers have problems driving in winter conditions. But most? Over 50%? That's a pretty strong claim.
- kobeya 10y agoMost drivers are in India, southern China, the equatorial belt, etc. I don't think they have much experience with Michigan winters.
- grzm 10y agoI believe it's understood that the drivers under discussion are Michigan drivers, are they not? If not, I'm not sure how interesting the statement is. Drivers in India, southern China, or the equatorial belt won't have need of a car that can handle Michigan winters, either.
- kobeya 10y agoI don't think that was clear from context at all, no. However unlike a human driver, people will expect a car to continue working and working safely in non typical thriving conditions.
- grzm 10y agoIt's not clear to me that this is true. Here on HN I'm surprised how often members can't imagine how a problem might be solved using a computer or other technology. Or people in general being surprised that technology can be applied to everyday problems. I bring this up as examples of people having limited expectations of technology, not that they're right or wrong in their assumptions. That's not to say sometimes people have unreasonable assumptions as well. That's why I say it's not clear to me.
- freehunter 10y agoIt is 100% tongue in cheek, it's a very common complaint around here. The first snowfall of the year, traffic becomes a nightmare because people forget how to drive in the snow. And on snowy days, road with two lanes in each direction tend to turn into roads with one lane in each direction as people forget where the lines are drawn and then no one wants to drive outside of the established tire tracks. Complaining about people driving in the snow is what gets us northerners through the winter months. It keeps us warm.