[Ccecil]

Well...certain areas. I myself get excited when it is snowing and I get to drive.

Seattle tends to lose it's mind when there is barely any snow...but as soon as you get past Issaquah people start driving like they have been in snow before.

I remember one trip coming over the pass maintaining 50-60mph with a ton of snow...but as soon as I got down the hill everyone was driving 25mph on the freeway.

Mostly the PNW communities inland have it together when it comes to snow. Aside from certain areas such as Tri-Cities south to Umatilla, Columbia river gorge and the mountain passes you can typically expect to at least be able to get to your destination without issues. Central Oregon (HWY97) uses what appears to be crushed lava rock on the highway...which is quite nice.

From what I have seen though...the coastal areas (or any area which doesn't regularly get snow) people, cars and road crews are not prepared for what happens when it falls.

I live and grew up in North Idaho...outside Spokane. Snow driving is just something you accept and learn to prepare for. If I lived in Portland though I would likely stay home. It isn't "my" driving I am worried about. It is the person who has near 0 snow driving experience, and/or in a car without proper tires and maintenance that is going to be the issues.

At night you should never outdrive your headlights...in winter you should never outdrive a reasonable stopping distance. If you are not prepared or comfortable operating a vehicle in the snow...don't drive for a few hours or even days.

[danans]

> I remember one trip coming over the pass maintaining 50-60mph with a ton of snow...but as soon as I got down the hill everyone was driving 25mph on the freeway

Driving at 25mph in a ton of snow seems a lot more sensible than driving 50-60mph, especially if your vehicle isn't equipped with snow tires.

Snow related accidents are often caused by people not slowing down.

[Ccecil]

There was only about .5-1" of snow at the bottom...while on the top of the pass was easily 4-6" on the road.

Agreed...drive the speed which you feel safe. The point was that to the people who don't see snow "any snow" is unsafe...meanwhile...those who drive in it regularly don't even notice.

Just like the amount of snow which shuts down most of the nation doesn't even seem to make the news when it happens here.

[brewdad]

I grew up in Michigan where snow is a regular occurance. Driving on ice at any speed feels safe, right up until the point it isn't. A lesson that is learned by dozens of drivers every winter who line the ditches of I-94 in their 4WD vehicles that lack 4-wheel stop on ice.

[Ccecil]

Absolutely...very important. Driving too fast on ice is very dangerous.

Although, I would argue it is even more risk to drive significantly higher or lower than the average speed being maintained by the traffic flow. If you do not feel safe at that speed...don't drive. Stay home a few hours or days...let the plows get out there.

The main point of my statement wasn't about "what is a safe speed"...it was about the very clear difference of "speed of traffic flow" as soon as you get off of the pass. In the original case I was discussing...I had drove 300+ miles at 50-60mph (speed of traffic flow)...then the last 10 miles the average traffic speed cut in half (which was also the best weather conditions).

I made a comment about it to my friend when I got to Seattle and his comment was "yeah...people over here lose their minds when any snow falls"...up until that point I had no idea that was a thing.

[jeffreygoesto]

Unless you are in Sweden and it's so cold that the snow feels more like concrete. It is "milled" in longitudinal direction, if I remember correctly, so that there is no flat surface but many small grooves. And they do have extreme headlamps, especially around the arctic circle. Driving on completely iced roads between trucks going 65mph can be quite an experience...