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Such a weird comment. Tailpipe blocked with snow? I've lived in (the cold part of) Canada nearly my whole life, never happened. Snow doesn't fall sideways an

Such a weird comment. Tailpipe blocked with snow? I've lived in (the cold part of) Canada nearly my whole life, never happened. Snow doesn't fall sideways and upwards to block a tailpipe lol. And range is the relevant part of a vehicle, given Canada is so large and sparsely populated, not how long seat heaters heat.

rconti 1y ago
It happens. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00039929.htm https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00039929.htm https://www.rearviewsafety.com/safety/news/news-release-dead-from-carbon-monoxide-poisoning https://www.rearviewsafety.com/safety/news/news-release-dead... But it sounds like it's hard to get a handle on how common it is. It feels like it's more on the level of "a handful a year in North America/freak occurrance", rather than "common way to die".
- bryanlarsen 1y ago
  I know of somebody it happened to. Maybe it's not particularly common, but it's in my mind as something that happens.
- dismalaf 1y ago
  Both of those involved the cars being encased in snow, as opposed to the tailpipe specifically being blocked.
  - rconti 1y ago
    Right, but in particularly heavy snowfall, it's not hard to imagine snow encasing the chassis. Once the snow forms a barrier around the body, the exhaust has nowhere to go. Or if the pipe gets blocked (which is a bit harder to imagine, since there's heat coming out of there), and there are exhaust leaks, the exhaust is directed up through the chassis. It doesn't have to be a perfect seal to raise the CO level! I was recently stuck in a 3 hour backup in sub-freezing temps in moderate snowfall, and it was nice to be able to leave the engine running for heat. In the winter, we have a contingency where it's possible to be stuck in your vehicle overnight in heavy snowfall, and my plan was always to wake up every couple of hours to ensure the snow was clear of the car. https://www.nbcbayarea.com/local/3-young-women-found-dead-in-car-near-squaw-valley/1847828/ https://www.nbcbayarea.com/local/3-young-women-found-dead-in...
bryanlarsen 1y ago
Did you learn to drive in Canada? A prominent part of the your driving lessons should have been that one of the first things you do after getting stuck in mud or snow is to ensure your tail pipe is clear. What kills in the winter is unpredictability. Range is predictable and easy to mitigate. It's the winter. You've slid off the road. You're probably in the ditch. You've probably taken some damage to the vehicle. Whether or not you've taken damage, you're now stuck. Something is preventing you from safely walking for help. At -30 or worse after an accident that's more likely than not. The above is not an uncommon scenario in the winter. So you wait in the vehicle for help to arrive, hoping you don't freeze to death before it does. You're safer in an electric vehicle. - If you've plowed into a snow covered ditch, your car may be partially or fully entombed, and you're at risk of a carbon monoxide poisoning. - there are stories of such vehicles not being found for days. Having heat for days might save your life
- dismalaf 1y ago
  > Did you learn to drive in Canada? A prominent part of the your driving lessons should have been that one of the first things you do after getting stuck in mud or snow is to ensure your tail pipe is clear. Yes I learned to drive in Canada. In a snowy region (3-10 metres of snow yearly depending on elevation). And I ski 50-100+ days per year. And will drive extra for powder snow. Amount of times I've got stuck in snow? Zero. If you learn to drive in the snow, have winter tires, you just don't get stuck. Especially when you're putting in thousands (tens?) of kms and hundreds of days on snow covered roads. Did YOU learn to drive here? Guessing no if you get stuck in the snow or slide off the road... Edit - should add, around here (Alberta Rockies to the BC interior) there's as much as hundreds of KMs between towns/cities. Bad place to ever get stuck. Which is why you simply don't. Also why I'm not trusting an electric car in -40 when there's no cell service for ~200 km spans.
  - bryanlarsen 1y ago
    The only place I've ever gotten stuck in the snow is in my own yard, and I've been driving in snow for over 40 years. But every single time I go out in the winter I have a plan for what I'll do if it does happen. Because it happens to people, good drivers and bad, snow tires or not. > Also why I'm not trusting an electric car in -40 when there's no cell service for ~200 km spans. You shouldn't be trusting any vehicle. Both an electric car and a gasoline car might let you down when you need it. The gasoline car is more likely to let you down, though. I presume you have a proper winter kit in your vehicle so you don't have to trust your vehicle.

rconti 1y ago

It happens. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00039929.htm https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00039929.htm https://www.rearviewsafety.com/safety/news/news-release-dead-from-carbon-monoxide-poisoning https://www.rearviewsafety.com/safety/news/news-release-dead... But it sounds like it's hard to get a handle on how common it is. It feels like it's more on the level of "a handful a year in North America/freak occurrance", rather than "common way to die".

bryanlarsen 1y ago
I know of somebody it happened to. Maybe it's not particularly common, but it's in my mind as something that happens.
dismalaf 1y ago
Both of those involved the cars being encased in snow, as opposed to the tailpipe specifically being blocked.
- rconti 1y ago
  Right, but in particularly heavy snowfall, it's not hard to imagine snow encasing the chassis. Once the snow forms a barrier around the body, the exhaust has nowhere to go. Or if the pipe gets blocked (which is a bit harder to imagine, since there's heat coming out of there), and there are exhaust leaks, the exhaust is directed up through the chassis. It doesn't have to be a perfect seal to raise the CO level! I was recently stuck in a 3 hour backup in sub-freezing temps in moderate snowfall, and it was nice to be able to leave the engine running for heat. In the winter, we have a contingency where it's possible to be stuck in your vehicle overnight in heavy snowfall, and my plan was always to wake up every couple of hours to ensure the snow was clear of the car. https://www.nbcbayarea.com/local/3-young-women-found-dead-in-car-near-squaw-valley/1847828/ https://www.nbcbayarea.com/local/3-young-women-found-dead-in...

bryanlarsen 1y ago

Did you learn to drive in Canada? A prominent part of the your driving lessons should have been that one of the first things you do after getting stuck in mud or snow is to ensure your tail pipe is clear. What kills in the winter is unpredictability. Range is predictable and easy to mitigate. It's the winter. You've slid off the road. You're probably in the ditch. You've probably taken some damage to the vehicle. Whether or not you've taken damage, you're now stuck. Something is preventing you from safely walking for help. At -30 or worse after an accident that's more likely than not. The above is not an uncommon scenario in the winter. So you wait in the vehicle for help to arrive, hoping you don't freeze to death before it does. You're safer in an electric vehicle. - If you've plowed into a snow covered ditch, your car may be partially or fully entombed, and you're at risk of a carbon monoxide poisoning. - there are stories of such vehicles not being found for days. Having heat for days might save your life

dismalaf 1y ago
> Did you learn to drive in Canada? A prominent part of the your driving lessons should have been that one of the first things you do after getting stuck in mud or snow is to ensure your tail pipe is clear. Yes I learned to drive in Canada. In a snowy region (3-10 metres of snow yearly depending on elevation). And I ski 50-100+ days per year. And will drive extra for powder snow. Amount of times I've got stuck in snow? Zero. If you learn to drive in the snow, have winter tires, you just don't get stuck. Especially when you're putting in thousands (tens?) of kms and hundreds of days on snow covered roads. Did YOU learn to drive here? Guessing no if you get stuck in the snow or slide off the road... Edit - should add, around here (Alberta Rockies to the BC interior) there's as much as hundreds of KMs between towns/cities. Bad place to ever get stuck. Which is why you simply don't. Also why I'm not trusting an electric car in -40 when there's no cell service for ~200 km spans.
- bryanlarsen 1y ago
  The only place I've ever gotten stuck in the snow is in my own yard, and I've been driving in snow for over 40 years. But every single time I go out in the winter I have a plan for what I'll do if it does happen. Because it happens to people, good drivers and bad, snow tires or not. > Also why I'm not trusting an electric car in -40 when there's no cell service for ~200 km spans. You shouldn't be trusting any vehicle. Both an electric car and a gasoline car might let you down when you need it. The gasoline car is more likely to let you down, though. I presume you have a proper winter kit in your vehicle so you don't have to trust your vehicle.