Worst storm you ever drove in?

[Ice bowl 67]

As far as a Snowstorm, Thunderstorm, Hailstorm or tornado what was the worst storm you ever drove in?

[BringBackFergy]

Ice Bowl in da house!!

[ExiledInIllinois]

2009-10, January 2nd ish...  Drove down to Florida for Christmas.   Then up to South Carolina for New Year's,  then on to BFLo thru W.VA for an extended stay before back to Ill-Annoy.  

 

I79.  Pittsburgh to Erie.  Right into teeth of a Lake Effect snow squall band, by the grace of God made it out! 

 

Been so many others, that was worse.  Usually in the snow belts...

 

[BringBackFergy]

Can you share with us the worst storm you’ve ever experienced? That’s usually how these threads work. 

[T&C]

Hurricane Irma.... Indians at the far corner would not close so it was a 6 mile round trip. Wildest beer run I've ever been on.

[Augie]

52 minutes ago, BringBackFergy said:

Can you share with us the worst storm you’ve ever experienced? That’s usually how these threads work. 

 

I’ll play along……because I might lose sleep tonight unless I get this off my chest. This might help. 

 

I was living in Hilton Head when my uncle in Buffalo passed away. My then fiancé took care of my dogs while I drove up thru Cincinnati with my parents to pick up my sister in college. 

 

It really was a beautiful service, and the falling snow at the cemetery created that special quiet solitude. 

 

My father, in his infinite wisdom, decided to stay for dinner at some place on Maple Rd. Lovely, really. We headed back toward Cincinnati a bit before dark. Before we hit Cleveland I get the wheel. My entire nuclear family is in the car, and they are all sleeping in a dark whiteout.  I have never seen anything like this along the lake between WNY and Cleveland. I can barely see the hood ornament, much less the road. I start driving by “feel”, like when you hit those studs in the road to define lanes. I’m staying between the bumps. 

 

At this point, I just want to pull over, but I can’t tell where “over” is. We will get crushed by any truck coming from behind. All options are bad, and I am the only one awake. THEN, I feel the bottom drop out and I think we have gone into the ditch, but it’s too smooth. It was like the drop on a rollercoaster.  There was no “tire thump” on the right side of the highway I can’t see.  It was an exit ramp, and I blew thru thru the stop sign to get back onto that nightmare! My mother then woke up to see the situation, and she added some sailor talk I can’t post here. Still freaks me out to this day.

 

About an hour later my dad woke up as we were heading south from Cleveland and offered to drive.  Gee, thanks…..

Edited March 15, 2022 by Augie

[Ice bowl 67]

10 minutes ago, Augie said:

 

I’ll play along……because I might lose sleep tonight unless I get this off my chest. This might help. 

 

I was living in Hilton Head when my uncle in Buffalo passed away. My then fiancé took care of my dogs while I drove up thru Cincinnati with my parents to pick up my sister in college. 

 

It really was a beautiful service, and the falling snow at the cemetery created that special quiet solitude. 

 

My father, in his infinite wisdom, decided to stay for dinner at some place on Maple Rd. Lovely, really. We headed back toward Cincinnati a bit before dark. Before we hit Cleveland I get the wheel. My entire nuclear family is in the car, and they are all sleeping in a dark whiteout.  I have never seen anything like this along the lake between WNY and Cleveland. I can barely see the hood ornament, much less the road. I start driving by “feel”, like when you hit those studs in the road to define lanes. I’m staying between the bumps. 

 

At this point, I just want to pull over, but I can’t tell where “over” is. We will get crushed by any truck coming from behind. All options are bad, and I am the only one awake. THEN, I feel the bottom drop out and I think we have gone into the ditch, but it’s too smooth. It was like the drop ona rollercoaster.  It was an exit ramp, and I blew thru thru the stop sign to get back onto that nightmare! My mother then woke up to see the situation, and she added some sailor talk I can’t post here. Still freaks me out to this day.

 

About an hour later my dad woke up as we were heading south from Cleveland and offered to drive.  Gee, thanks…..

When was this?

[Augie]

15 minutes ago, Ice bowl 67 said:

When was this?

Early in the morning.

 

OK, maybe more specifically Jan/Feb of 1985 as a guess.

 

EDIT: more like late ‘84, not that it matters. 

Edited March 15, 2022 by Augie

[ExiledInIllinois]

4 hours ago, Augie said:

 

I’ll play along……because I might lose sleep tonight unless I get this off my chest. This might help. 

 

I was living in Hilton Head when my uncle in Buffalo passed away. My then fiancé took care of my dogs while I drove up thru Cincinnati with my parents to pick up my sister in college. 

 

It really was a beautiful service, and the falling snow at the cemetery created that special quiet solitude. 

 

My father, in his infinite wisdom, decided to stay for dinner at some place on Maple Rd. Lovely, really. We headed back toward Cincinnati a bit before dark. Before we hit Cleveland I get the wheel. My entire nuclear family is in the car, and they are all sleeping in a dark whiteout.  I have never seen anything like this along the lake between WNY and Cleveland. I can barely see the hood ornament, much less the road. I start driving by “feel”, like when you hit those studs in the road to define lanes. I’m staying between the bumps. 

 

At this point, I just want to pull over, but I can’t tell where “over” is. We will get crushed by any truck coming from behind. All options are bad, and I am the only one awake. THEN, I feel the bottom drop out and I think we have gone into the ditch, but it’s too smooth. It was like the drop on a rollercoaster.  There was no “tire thump” on the right side of the highway I can’t see.  It was an exit ramp, and I blew thru thru the stop sign to get back onto that nightmare! My mother then woke up to see the situation, and she added some sailor talk I can’t post here. Still freaks me out to this day.

 

About an hour later my dad woke up as we were heading south from Cleveland and offered to drive.  Gee, thanks…..

Uncle Augie... What's a "hood ornament?"

 

😆 🤣 

 

Boy, that'd dated you! Nothing like a good ole fashion white knuckle drive with the lives of the whole nuclear family hanging in the balance!

 

Ferguson is gonna lose (the rest of) his mind when he wakes up today.   I better tag him and his friends. Look what you've done @Ice bowl 67!!!

 

@BringBackFergy

@Beerball

@Gugny

@Mike in Horseheads

 

Please don't check the ShoutBox too... 

 

😏 

 

 

[TBBills]

Superstorm Sandy

[Gugny]

It wasn't one of those fancy storms with a catchy name, but it was a major snowstorm back about 6 years or so ago.  The storm started in the early afternoon.  Wet/heavy snow coming down at least an inch/hour.  I was at work, which was about 60 miles from home.  Plows were nowhere to be seen, which is rare, but that was my luck.

 

The northway (I-87) was covered with 6-8 inches of snow and people were making their own lanes.  I was driving a Nissan Versa Note, hugging the right side of the highway, going about 20mph most of the time.

 

All in all, it took me 2 hours and 45 minutes to go 60 miles and it was the worst, scariest driving experience I've ever been through.

[Greg S]

The worst storm I drove in wasn't much of a storm at all. It was because our area wasn't prepared for it. It happened a couple of years ago in late Oct. We were supposed to get rain but instead we got a fluke snow storm of about 4 inches. Because the roads weren't salted and the plows weren't out it caused gridlock all over the NY Metro area. I am in NJ and a normal commute for me going back and forth from home to work is 30 minutes. It took me 6 hours to get home that day.

[Johnny Hammersticks]

Mine was not driving but on a boat.  A shrimping boat.  You see, my friend Bubba had a dream to be a shrimping boat captain, and when he died I felt compelled to fulfill his dream.  People called me crazy, but I didn’t listen.   But shrimping was hard!  That is until Lieutenant Dan came down to the bayou to help.  He was a troubled man.  Anyway, the sea was angry that night my friend.  80 mph winds, 20-30’ swells, rain as hard as momma’s fryin’ pan.  I don’t know how we made it out alive, but I think Lieutenant Dan made his peace with god that night.

[Augie]

32 minutes ago, Johnny Hammersticks said:

Mine was not driving but on a boat.  A shrimping boat.  You see, my friend Bubba had a dream to be a shrimping boat captain, and when he died I felt compelled to fulfill his dream.  People called me crazy, but I didn’t listen.   But shrimping was hard!  That is until Lieutenant Dan came down to the bayou to help.  He was a troubled man.  Anyway, the sea was angry that night my friend.  80 mph winds, 20-30’ swells, rain as hard as momma’s fryin’ pan.  I don’t know how we made it out alive, but I think Lieutenant Dan made his peace with god that night.

 

You WILL be reported if you try to show us your buh-tocks. 

[Punching Bag]

Worst storm I drove in was on way back to Virginia from Buffalo.  I76/I70 interchange reported had issues so planned on taking 220 to I68. 

My wife had been tired so at Bedford we filled tank and switched drivers.  She was asleep 5 minutes on 220.

Less than 15 minutes later a storm came in which vision was so bad I barely could see a car length ahead of me.

It took my full concentration to keep eye ahead and dealing with storm which winds were very high.

Road was empty except for some cars parked on site of road so continued driving until I68 and then continued journey east.

just before Hancock storm calmed down and she woke up; evidently the rain helped her sleep.

The normally one hour segment took me three hours and my wife could see from my face I was exhausted and offered to take over again.

Radio report said I70 was backed up to Frederick MD so we cut over to WV and took back roads to main roads to home.

 

[ExiledInIllinois]

Putting your four-ways/flashers/hazards on cuts through the snow when headlight beams blast, reflect the snow back and blind you. Shut headlights off, turn on the fog/auxiliary low beams (if you got them) and put hazards on.

 

The sad part, now every schmo on the road is doing it and going 30mph once even the smallest flake flies.   /smdh...

 

That's when you hit them with the Sasquatch Lights:

 

[Bray Wyatt]

I was driving back from Fredonia (where I went to school) to Rochester to meet my friend out for his birthday.

 

My college beater car at the time was a 85 Oldsmobile cutlass supreme (big steel boat). RWD no Posi traction.

The heater in the car was stuck on a setting. Luckily it was the defrost setting, but the speed was only at the second from the bottom. So not much heat in the car, and windshield was only defrosted on the bottom half.

 

Snow was coming down pretty good, and was real windy. The 90 was bad from Fredonia to Buffalo, but once you hit the toll booths the road cleared up some. Got to the other toll booths going to Rochester and it was crappy again.

 

All of a sudden, I hit a real bad patch of the storm, white out like conditions, and then all of a sudden my car stalls and I am able to get over on the right shoulder. I thought I was going to be stranded. I sat for a few minutes and tried to restart my car, luckily it turned over and I was able to go.

 

Went slow the rest of the way but made it to the bar.

 

My friends and I were the only people out and they were shocked I even made it, as most people used the excuse it was too bad out for them to go out.

[SinceThe70s]

Have you ever seen video of cars stuck on a highway overnight in a snowstorm and thought - what a bunch of morons, that would never happen to me. Well it happened to me.

 

Had an overnight ski trip planned with a friend and we were keeping an eye on an incoming storm. It got sketchy late afternoon and just before we were going to leave they declared a state of emergency because it was turning into an ice storm in some areas. My friend convinced me that we could outflank the storm by staying east of it and if it took us twice as long to get there it would be worth it because conditions the next day would be great. He was driving and I didn't have the good sense to say no.

 

Got stuck the first time on I-684 for 15 minutes when a car spun out and blocked the road. Got stuck the second time for an hour on I-84 when traffic came to a standstill. Got to drive maybe a mile or two further before getting stuck for the night just watching the snow pile up on the hood of the car and having no idea if/when we would get moving. In the morning we made a snowman on the side of the highway. Eventually the local fire department came by and directed us to a nearby exit where we turned around and headed home.

[TheCockSportif]

March 1996.  Boston to WNY.

 

I almost moved to Silicon Valley in the winter of 1995.  Netscape had me in the final round of interviews, but I didn't get the gig.  Most people didn't get the gig.

 

So, I found myself driving to Boston, with my best friend from high school (SJCI), to Boston, for a job interview, in mid March 1996.  Weather was terrible going out, but by the time we reached Boston, it was 55oF.  After 5 hours' worth of interviews in Cambridge, MA, snow was heavy in Boston.  It took 12 hours to get back to WNY.  Roads were terrible on the Mass Pike.  Roads were terrible on the NYS Thruway.  You couldn't see ***** 10' in front of you as you drove.  It was ***** grim.  Plus I was running out of money.  Yeah, I was finishing UB that May, but here I was, on the NYS Thruway, trying not to crash my vehicle.  I was 24 at the time, and yeah I had insurance, but if the destroyed the car, then that was the end.

 

400 miles of white knuckles.  That's what the 12 hours was.

[Ice bowl 67]

2 hours ago, TheCockSportif said:

March 1996.  Boston to WNY.

 

I almost moved to Silicon Valley in the winter of 1995.  Netscape had me in the final round of interviews, but I didn't get the gig.  Most people didn't get the gig.

 

So, I found myself driving to Boston, with my best friend from high school (SJCI), to Boston, for a job interview, in mid March 1996.  Weather was terrible going out, but by the time we reached Boston, it was 55oF.  After 5 hours' worth of interviews in Cambridge, MA, snow was heavy in Boston.  It took 12 hours to get back to WNY.  Roads were terrible on the Mass Pike.  Roads were terrible on the NYS Thruway.  You couldn't see ***** 10' in front of you as you drove.  It was ***** grim.  Plus I was running out of money.  Yeah, I was finishing UB that May, but here I was, on the NYS Thruway, trying not to crash my vehicle.  I was 24 at the time, and yeah I had insurance, but if the destroyed the car, then that was the end.

 

400 miles of white knuckles.  That's what the 12 hours was.

I remember 96 being horrible up here too. We had snowballs that lasted well into May up here.

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

Early March 2004, was driving back from watching a Syracuse Bball game (think it was Hakeem warrick’s last home game). Drove through WNY And the snow belt in Ohio. The snow was falling so fast that the highway had continuously 2-3 inches on it. Was driving at like 10 MPH for most of it. Can’t even believe I drove in that. 
 

In college, drove with a somewhat random fellow student back to WNY through Erie. The thruway was closed and yet we still got on it. Same deal— inches of snow on the road. We couldn’t see more than 10 feet in front of us. But this knucklehead was flying through it at like 40+ MPH. 

[ExiledInIllinois]

8 minutes ago, Miyagi-Do Karate said:

Early March 2004, was driving back from watching a Syracuse Bball game (think it was Hakeem warrick’s last home game). Drove through WNY And the snow belt in Ohio. The snow was falling so fast that the highway had continuously 2-3 inches on it. Was driving at like 10 MPH for most of it. Can’t even believe I drove in that. 
 

In college, drove with a somewhat random fellow student back to WNY through Erie. The thruway was closed and yet we still got on it. Same deal— inches of snow on the road. We couldn’t see more than 10 feet in front of us. But this knucklehead was flying through it at like 40+ MPH. 

I have driven that stretch from Ashtabula to the NYS line probably 100s of times... A good handful was straight down middle getting pummeled with snow.  

 

The Snovember trip... Tacked around the snow in the Southern Tier.  Came just in time to see my father's street cleared with the endloader.  Had snowshoes ready in case we had to park on main road...

[Augie]

I was in college driving home from Cincinnati to Buffalo with a buddy for Thanksgiving one night. For some reason I was in my parents Cadillac with all kinds of crazy features I was unfamiliar with. We get to Cleveland and veer right to go along the lake and the snow starts. Then it gets worse, then  it gets REALLY BAD. Nobody on the roads but trucks. A night you just don’t go out. 

 

One feature I was unfamiliar with was a high beam setting where if no headlights are coming at you it automatically turns on the high beams. That annoyed the trucks ahead of me. I learned that the truckers did NOT like that, and they had spotlights they could shine back at me, blinding me like I was blinding them. This would turn my high beams off, until a few seconds after they turned the spotlights off. Then they flip back on. 

 

It’s snowing HARD, and there is nowhere to pull over. I can’t figure out how to change the settings in the dark while white knuckling just to stay on the road. I keep pissing off trucker after trucker. I slow down to get way behind them so as not to annoy, but along comes another truck. They must have been on the radio with each other, because eventually my buddy says “OK, now I think they are trying to kill us!” 

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

31 minutes ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

I have driven that stretch from Ashtabula to the NYS line probably 100s of times... A good handful was straight down middle getting pummeled with snow.  

 

The Snovember trip... Tacked around the snow in the Southern Tier.  Came just in time to see my father's street cleared with the endloader.  Had snowshoes ready in case we had to park on main road...

Yeah, that Ashtabula stretch is absolutely brutal!! I vowed I would never drive that again! 

[Behindenemylines]

I was on duty for both Hurricanes Irene and Sandy as I’m in the healthcare field. Had to drive throughout each of these storms several times transporting staff and supplies.  If I didn’t have my Jeep I never would have made it on a single trip. Deep water, trees, general debris everywhere and the winds were wicked. 
 

 

[BruceVilanch]

I was stationed in Montana and got stuck in a whiteout blizzard in a humvee, those things heaters suck and it is like being stuck in a freezer

[WhoTom]

14 hours ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

I have driven that stretch from Ashtabula to the NYS line

 

The year we moved to Illinois, we went back to WNY for Christmas. The snow started right around Cleveland and got heavier as we went. Just past Ashtabula and Conneaut, right across the PA state line, we skidded off the road and into the median. Good thing there was enough snow in the median ditch, because without it, we had enough momentum to carry us into the oncoming traffic. This was before cell phones, but luckily, there was a rest area about 1/2 mile from where we were. Wife stayed in the car with the pets while I hiked up the road to use a payphone to call AAA. It took him an hour to get there and another hour to dig us out, but we made it and managed to drive the rest of the way - slowly - without further incident.

 

 

[Big Turk]

Drove through a whiteout from Cheektowaga through Mile Strip road exit where you literally couldn't see anything in front of you other than faint tail lights when you were right up on them.  Thought I was going to be in an accident for sure.

[TheCockSportif]

18 hours ago, Ice bowl 67 said:

I remember 96 being horrible up here too. We had snowballs that lasted well into May up here.

Correct!  And we had that horrible storm in April 1997 as well.  Good times.  Now my wife and I live in Maine; it's got the small town vibe of WNY, and at times we get hammered with... ocean effect snow.  You can taste the salt as it hits you in the face.  That sounds lewd.  Oops!

[boater]

March In the Bering Sea. A 915 millibar low pressure system. Basically, a hurricane. The waves were 50 footers. When the ship was in the trough it was like being in a canyon of water. I'd tell you the wind speed, but the anemometers were torn away.

[ExiledInIllinois]

1 hour ago, WhoTom said:

 

The year we moved to Illinois, we went back to WNY for Christmas. The snow started right around Cleveland and got heavier as we went. Just past Ashtabula and Conneaut, right across the PA state line, we skidded off the road and into the median. Good thing there was enough snow in the median ditch, because without it, we had enough momentum to carry us into the oncoming traffic. This was before cell phones, but luckily, there was a rest area about 1/2 mile from where we were. Wife stayed in the car with the pets while I hiked up the road to use a payphone to call AAA. It took him an hour to get there and another hour to dig us out, but we made it and managed to drive the rest of the way - slowly - without further incident.

 

 

Sorry to hear!

 

Yup the two snowbelts alee of the Lakes... Ashtabula up through Erie, Southern Tier... And other one off of Lake Michigan, Indiana Dunes  on through South Bend.

 

If it's ever rough sledding... You can head up I94 at the split where Indiana Turnpike begins, I80/I90... Head through Detroit/Windsor or Port Huron/Sarnia and head through Southern Ontario/Niagara Peninsula and avoid weather-side of especially Lake Erie.  NOT that much slower, customs,  etc... Further miles (if you opt QEW over King's Highway for speed)... And bring passports... We've done that a few times to avoid lake effect! Avoid the ~$20-$30 tolls, pick up customs, bridge/tunnel toll... But cheaper than turnpikes/Thruway...

Edited March 16, 2022 by ExiledInIllinois

[LewPort71]

We lived in Ashtabula for 10 years and the number of bad driving adventures is a large number.

Christmas '83 we were planning to go to Lewiston to see mother-in-law.

When I woke up  the snow was not coming down, it was coming sideways.
Needless to say, we did not make it to WNY. 

Our house looked like the Siberian house in Dr. Zhivago.

I shoveled a LOT of snow in those ten years.

[ExiledInIllinois]

7 hours ago, LewPort71 said:

We lived in Ashtabula for 10 years and the number of bad driving adventures is a large number.

Christmas '83 we were planning to go to Lewiston to see mother-in-law.

When I woke up  the snow was not coming down, it was coming sideways.
Needless to say, we did not make it to WNY. 

Our house looked like the Siberian house in Dr. Zhivago.

I shoveled a LOT of snow in those ten years.

Late 1980s, early 1990s... We'd work Ashtabula and Conneaut Harbors.  Survey/sound them.  Spring build land baseline and establish our guage boards that winter didn't destroy. Summer take the soundings.  Come back in fall to sound again and blouse up stations, etc... 

 

Conneaut I remember well, for what had to be the world's smallest diner.  Johnson's Drive-In. We'd eat breakfast there before heading out to survey. 

 

U-shaped counter that sat about a dozen people.  Cook worked right in front of you... If it was full, have to wait till someone else finished. Fond memories... Pretty old-school...

 

They don't build them like this anymore. I guess they'd just have a food truck now...

 

 

 

Edited March 17, 2022 by ExiledInIllinois

[Nextmanup]

Some time around 1997 (I think) it was a random winter day/evening living in Buffalo, NY.

 

I had to drive to Rochester to see my girlfriend and set out at like 6pm, in the dark.

 

I wasn't on the NYS thruway for more than 5 minutes heading east when I realized visibility was seriously dropping and the snow was coming down harder and harder.

 

Eventually, I had to drive around 5mph (along with all other cars on the road; there weren't many) and ACTUALLY LOOK TO THE SIDES to see where I was going, b/c the snow just reflected off the light projecting from the headlights and caused a sort of fog you couldn't see through.  I was frequently turning my headlights OFF for better visibility and then looking SIDEWAYS trying to figure out if I was still on the road...

 

Eventually made it to Rochester with no incidents.  The funny thing is this wasn't even a "storm".  It was just a random winter night in WNY with some "snow flurries".

 

One of the scariest driving experiences I've ever had.  Will always remember that one.

 

[aristocrat]

Back in December towed my rv from Eugene Or to North Carolina.  Drove over the the Santiam pass during a snowstorm so had to chain up the tires...giant pain in the ass and took me like 2 hours going like 10 miles per hour to get through and was sliding all over.  Then a couple days later I was on 80 east in Rawlins Wy where there was steady 45 mph winds and gusts above 60 and again with the rv it was like a giant sail.  Saw a bunch of empty 18 wheelers that attempted to drive that route but ended up rolling. When I stopped for gas a truck driver called that area their bermuda triangle.  I had a blowout right in the middle of that route as well so i sat on the side of the road waiting for a tire change with that wind. That wind was wild. 

[muppy]

I have always been kind of chickenpoop when it comes to driving in bad weather. Im more of a wait it out inside or crash where I am kind of person. Ive been stranded and stuck a few times due to WNY weather but as far as driving.....Ive been in rainstorms that literally made road travel impossible at least for a short time......Im talking full stop rain soooo big and fastly furiously falling that visibility through the windshield is/was ZERO and the hammering sound on the roof was loud too.

 

snowfall zero visibility Ive been a passenger but not driving.

Edited March 19, 2022 by muppy

[gomper]

So many to mention living in WNY. 1997 driving down the length of the 400 at 3am. No plows. Couldn't see 5 feet past the windshield. All I could do was follow the tire tracks left in front of me seconds ago. Couldn't even see his taillights. I thought " I hope he can see where he's going because if he's in a ditch, I'm joining him."

 

One I was present for but didn't know it at the time.  Grateful Dead Summer tour 1990. I drove the Louisville, Raleigh, DC, Foxboro leg. Hometown show in OP was next. I was spent. So, per agreement, it was my two friends driving us home. Last thing I remember was getting on the 590 to the 90. I woke up as we were getting close to Batavia rested and ready.  My friends in the front were glassy-eyed and looked exhausted.

 

Apparently, we entered an impenetrable fog that slowed us down to 5mph for about60 miles, cleared that and then ran out of gas. Some heads stopped and drove our driver up the 90 for gas. Slept through it all lol. Once we reached the Batavia rest stop all they said was "You drive the rest"

[Augie]

4 hours ago, muppy said:

I have always been kind of chickenpoop when it comes to driving in bad weather. Im more of a wait it out inside or crash where I am kind of person. Ive been stranded and stuck a few times due to WNY weather but as far as driving.....Ive been in rainstorms that literally made road travel impossible at least for a short time......Im talking full stop rain soooo big and fastly furiously falling that visibility through the windshield is/was ZERO and the hammering sound on the roof was loud too.

 

snowfall zero visibility Ive been a passenger but not driving.

I was married just a few years and was living in Hilton Head, SC. My wife was at Trust school at Campbell University somewhere in NC. I was driving north up I-95 to pick her up and then head somewhere on vacation. It starter raining…..HARD! I’m hating it, but slow down and keep going. 

 

After a while I look left to the southbound lanes and realize something is wrong. Lights keep flipping on and off and bouncing around. As I get closer I realize it’s a car that has hydroplaned and rolled into the median. I pull over to the left quickly, but nervously in that weather and traffic. I’m the first one there and not sure what to do! This is before cell phones. The car is upside down in the median and the drivers window has been rolled down. Her tires were right there to inspect, and almost new. A young lady is trying to crawl out of this upside down car into the swamp of the median. She wont listen to my advice to remain still and stay dry. 

 

By then, others have stopped. The lady right behind her was more freaked than I was. “She was doing just what I was doing!” It’s cold outside, so I go to my car and get my quilt I had slept with since college, Yes, I had a blankie! I wrap her in that and the crowd continues to grow. There is nothing I can add at that point, so I numbly go back to my car and drive north…..very slowly. 

[Talley56]

Not sure if it counts when we weren't the ones driving (I was 11 at the time) but the night of Christmas Day 1993, on our way home from celebrating Christmas at my grandparents (typically about a 20-30 minute drive), a sudden snow storm that I don't believe was previously in the forecast hits us.  About half way home it got really bad and we got stuck going down this pretty steep hill.  My dad, and other cars, had to pretty much crawl down this hill knowing that at any moment our car could just start sliding uncontrollably down.  We eventually got down safely but there was a lot of anxiety getting down that hill and the rest of the drive was pretty scary as well.  Then, we got to the highway, not too far from our house, and there was just stopped traffic for miles due to an accident way up ahead.  When we got about a mile from home, everyone but my dad got out and walked through the snow the rest of the way home.  Eventually, my dad was able to fight through the traffic to get the rest of the way home safely but that was one very memorable drive/ride.

[Sweet Lou]

March of 1993.  (63.8 mile trip)

Driving from Moravia, NY to Elmira, NY

In 3 feet of snow. (It was ugly)

Had a limited 1990 Chevy S-10, 4-wheel drive with a moderate lift kit and sneakers by Uni-Royal. They were Laredo’s.

 

On Route 13 South of Ithaca, at the Newfield hill I have a little momentum so I hammer it into the passing lane and with all 4 tires spinning and gripping I pass a tractor trailer on the way up the hill.  The tractor wheels were spinning but he wasn’t moving.

 

Being aggressive paid off because I made it to the top, where I appropriately and defiantly flip-off my former Driver’s Ed. teacher from high school, who always touted defensive driving and failed me because I disagreed with his full time logic.

Sooooo!
Summer School Driver’s Ed. with a different teacher at a different school, then roughly 17 years later I finally get the ultimate test.

I make it home safely, as an offensive driver, about 3 hours ahead of my closest co-worker, who were driving defensively.  Go figure!

 

Now we’re all retired and at parties the 1993 trip home becomes another memory where my former co-workers get to call me careless over and over again.  (While laughing of course) and I always get to correct them with another “C” word.  CONFIDENCE.