Boy, there's nothing quite like having your mortality sneak up on you!

[NightTrain]

It happened this morning on my job. We had both snow and freezing drizzle in Connecticut, and I had to drive my delivery truck (a Nissan Exterra) down a very, very steep hill.

About halfway down, the damned thing fishtailed. No matter what I did, I could not get the Exterra to straighten out. It spun around and the driver's side slammed into a snowbank. I felt the passenger's side wheels leave the ground. I thought for sure the Exterra would flip over onto its side, but it remained upright.

I sat there for a couple of minutes, hyperventilating as my heart pounded like the drum solo in "Wipe Out." Once I had sufficiently calmed down, I drove the truck out of the snowbank with no difficulty. (Let's hear it for 4-wheel drive!) I got out and inspected the Exterra, which showed no signs of damage. So I got back in and finished my route, though my legs felt like wet noodles.

My experience this morning could have been a lot worse, but it still scared the shit out of me. Suffice it to say, I'm glad to be home now!

[Bunny]

1. Wow! Glad you're okay.

It's quite unnerving, isn't it?

[madison2000]

2. Glad you're ok

We had some freezing drizzle here yesterday as I was driving from Milwaukee to Madison. Suddenly all the traffic stopped- there had been an accident not far ahead of me, involving four vehicles. Nobody seemed hurt, but what a mess, and it could have been worse. One set of bad tires and everything can turn to disaster.

[EC]

9. I had to work yesterday so my boss could take his SO to the

airport in Milwaukee, and he said there were accidents all the way up along I-94...

[mandyky]

3. Glad you're okay

I had a Dorothy/Wizard of Oz moment in my Dad's 4 wheel drive in upstate NY in the 70's. I had even stopped at the top of the hill and put the jeep in 1st gear and tried coasting down the hill. I went into a spin, took out a fence and went over a 20 foot bank into a pasture. I landed on all 4 and drove out, but I just held onto the steering wheel with my feet flat on the floor (no brakes), and when I landed it sounded like all my windows broke, but it was just Dad's toolbox. Know all about that weak kneed feeling!

[EC]

10. I had one of those, only in mine a cop turned onto the road at the bottom

of the hill and I had to avoid him, ended up over a snow bank and hill in someones entry road on the other side...I was in a 3/4 ton cargo van....All I said was damn, it figures some asshole cop is going to do me in....

[mandyky]

13. Oy, thank god I had no other cars to avoid

This was a narrow country road.

[papau]

4. "drum solo in "Wipe Out." - great line! - I found violating the law and

getting studded snow tires was the only safe way to drive down hills.

When studded snows became hard to get I learned the into the snow bank method of stopping used by Jeeps in Vermont - and apparently by Nissan Exterras in Conn! :-)

I'm glad every thing worked out well!

I can still hear the "vocal" in "wipeout" -

now how do I get that out of my head?

:-)

OK - I will play the Venture"s "Walk Don't Run" and see if that helps!

[Longgrain]

5. We had snow here in MA too, and it's dangerous!

I have to drive thirty miles to work in this shit, at 6 A.M....

It was even worse than usual today since there were hardly any plows out (Presumably because of the Holiday) I'm sick of risking my life just to get to work everyday.

I really feel for you man.

[EC]

8. Longgrain, when I did the math of the cost of an accident, in terms of

increased insurance for 3 years, and the hassle of putting in claims and waiting, going and getting rental etc. - I came out cheaper risking getting fired and calling in sick on really bad days....

[Nikia]

6. Glad you are alright

I've had several of those moments. I always feel that I am meant to live for a while though, after it. I am glad that you made it alright.

[Lady Effingbroke]

7. All of you DUers up north, take care!

Driving in weather like that sounds like no fun at all - I couldn't do it. I've never driven in snow (or really even seen snow)!

Glad you're ok NightTrain!

PS - it was 80 degrees here in Houston today! :P

[hfojvt]

11. I did not think the snow was so bad

In Iowa I drove home at 20 Mph with snow blowing so hard that I could not see my hood ornament.
A couple years ago I did the fishtail thing on a hill in Missouri during some freezing rain. I am not sure how I stayed on the road, but I eventually hit a guard rail. Nothing more than a little bumper damage, but when I drove down the road, I came to a more serious accident that I missed by how many minutes? If I had not hit the guard-rail and been "delayed", would I have been in that other accident? I had to wonder.
It turned out to my own damned fault anyway, since my tires were totally shot.

[Redstone]

12. Does your XTerra have antilock brakes?

If so, you may need to update your recovery technique...in a vhecle with ABS, you no longer have to do the old "stay off the brakes and steer into the skid" routine; the mantra with ABS is "stomp and steer."

Exactly what is sounds like --mash the brakes hard enough to trigger the ABS and you should get steering control.

If you live where it snows and don't have a vehicle with ABS, you should get one. could save your life.

Also, do you have winter tires? I've noticed that VERY few people in Connecticut do. They would be a very worthy invesments for you if you have to drive every day.

"All-season" tires really are worthless as winter tires.

Redstone

[BeFree]

14. Good point

I would suggest that a good place to practice would be a big, empty parking lot. I learned some pretty good handling moves putting my car through the paces in all kinds of weather, by doing 'twistees' in parking lots.

Keep the shiny side up!