The most dangerous places to drive in the snow

[Sibhusky]

https://buckrail.com/wyoming-named-most-dangerous-state-to-drive-in-when-theres-snow/

I knew it! Hate being on the interstate in Wyoming when it's snowing!

 

[Philpug]

With the snow in the southeast this past week...I would have thought Georgia and Florida would be on the list

 

[Bill Miles]

I used to drive from Wichita, KS to the Colorado mountains 1-3 times per season. Several times when a storm was moving through, the Interstate out in the plains was worse than the mountains due to drifting. Sometimes it was closed.

I grew up in the Seattle area. Snow there could be bad because it was usually wet and slippery, the area is pretty hilly, and the road districts and drivers couldn't really handle it.

 

[Bad Bob]

Wonder how much posted highway speeds play into this? Most of WY is 80 MPH, those folds move. When things go wrong at that speed they go very wrong.

 

[crgildart]

With the snow in the southeast this past week...I would have thought Georgia and Florida would be on the list

Ya, take frequency and number of accidents annually out of it and the south is hands down the most dangerous place to drive in the snow.. even with just a couple inches..

Here's what happens.. It's usually been temps in the 50s for a month before the storm arrives. Temps drop and it starts dumping, but the ground is still 50 degrees so it all melts for a couple hours before the ground freezes... when that happens it's a skating rink instead of snow on cold pavement..

Next fun fact to add to your winter driving experience.. Since it hasn't dropped anything frozen on the roads or ground for at least a year there is NO sand already on the roads from the last storm and the one before that and so on like the roads are places where snow is common..

Finally, and what most people blame for the carnage is lots if inexperienced winter drivers.. I honestly think it's more to do with the above points. There has been a lot of migration here from northern states.. It's why we sell hockey tickets here..

This is a real photo between Durham and Raleigh on a main artery off the interstate.. which was no better. Grand total of two inches of snow a couple years ago. Took people, good winter drivers, 5 hours to go 14 miles on some roads.. No way to turn around, no way to drive down the shoulder to exit to side streets.. Folks and school buses just plain stuck doe to so many wrecks and people piled up on icy hills..

 

[mdf]

I'm always suspicious of lists like this. Per 100000 what? Both Wyoming and Vermont have low populations and lots of out-of-state drivers.

 

[crgildart]

I'm always suspicious of lists like this. Per 100000 what? Both Wyoming and Vermont have low populations and lots of out-of-state drivers.

List is most dangerous "places".. Where drivers are from is only relevant to how they make a place more or less dangerous.. Yes, a lot of wrecks might be caused by out of state drivers.. Makes the PLACE dangerous... I don't think the article was saying or even implying that locals are the only or main reason why..

 

[Sibhusky]

Per the article: "Safewise calculated the likelihood of crashing during snow per 100,000 people in each state .."

Do you feel there is a greater portion of out of state drivers in Wyoming than elsewhere? It's not a state connecting major population centers like New Jersey is.

Found this graphic about which out of state drivers you should blame (and I'm not surprised about Washington. Those guys are nuts.):
https://www.cheapcarinsurance.net/worst-out-of-state-drivers/

 

[CalG]

I'm always suspicious of lists like this. Per 100000 what? Both Wyoming and Vermont have low populations and lots of out-of-state drivers.

Good point

Out of State plates Dominate Friday eves North Bound and Sunday eves Southbound.

Do they keep track of just what days those wrecks occur.

We are not just a statistic!

 

[crgildart]

Another thing I see on that list with the per capita figure is most southern states shut down when even a little chance there might possibly be a little snow or ice sticking to the roads anywhere around town.. Places on that list are pretty "business as usual" in some pretty harsh winter weather.. So, a lot more of the population is out in the mess when it's a little, or a lot sketchy..

 

[CalG]

List is most dangerous "places".. Where drivers are from is only relevant to how they make a place more or less dangerous.. Yes, a lot of wrecks might be caused by out of state drivers.. Makes the PLACE dangerous... I don't think the article was saying or even implying that locals are the only or main reason why..

The PLACE isn't dangerous!

It's thos inadequate drivers on their SUVs that think All Wheel drive also means all wheel traction.

Sadly, It doesn't, but there are so many of them.....What's a poor Vermonter to do?

 

[Bad Bob]

Per the article: "Safewise calculated the likelihood of crashing during snow per 100,000 people in each state .."

Do you feel there is a greater portion of out of state drivers in Wyoming than elsewhere? It's not a state connecting major population centers like New Jersey is.

Found this graphic about which out of state drivers you should blame (and I'm not surprised about Washington. Those guys are nuts.):

Sib they get A BUNCH of out of state drivers there. with a population of about 500K and I-25, I-90, and I-80 blowing through there. The truck traffic is higher than I-90 in MT by far. All of those highway closure gates are there for a reason, put the wind on top of snow and it will get interesting.quickly.

 

[mdf]

It's a fraction! Numerator = number of accidents. Denominator = number of people who live there.

Not number of cars on the road, or number of miles driven per year, or....

Any state with lots of tourists (proportionally) will have a high ratio just because the denominator is small. Junk statistics.


Back when the drinking age was 18, the towns with the most bars per resident were college towns with more students than residents.

 

[crgildart]

Edit, removed misunderstood quoted response..

 

[SpikeDog]

I-80 is a very dangerous road in the winter. We call the section between Laramie and Rawlins the "Snow Chi Min Trail". The speed limit in most of Southern Wyoming is not 80 mph - I wish it were. There are variable speed limit signs all along I-80 that adjust speed according to conditions.

Only having 500K people in the state, that skews the data quite a bit.

 

[François Pugh]

Per the article: "Safewise calculated the likelihood of crashing during snow per 100,000 people in each state .."

Do you feel there is a greater portion of out of state drivers in Wyoming than elsewhere? It's not a state connecting major population centers like New Jersey is.

Found this graphic about which out of state drivers you should blame (and I'm not surprised about Washington. Those guys are nuts.):
https://www.cheapcarinsurance.net/worst-out-of-state-drivers/

It should be based on miles driven. Basing it on state population ignores how many out of state drivers are driving there; states with a low population and lots of visitors are sure to make the list.

For me, I like driving in snow. Driving in Freezing rain is fun too. Driving in white outs?.... Meh, the novelty has worn off. I prefer to avoid white out conditions.

 

[CalG]

It should be based on miles driven. Basing it on state population ignores how many out of state drivers are driving there; states with a low population and lots of visitors are sure to make the list.

For me, I like driving in snow. Driving in Freezing rain is fun too. Driving in white outs?.... Meh, the novelty has worn off. I prefer to avoid white out conditions.

White out? Just follow the tail lights of the car in front. Real Close!
That's how they do it on I 91!

 

[crgildart]

The PLACE isn't dangerous!

It's thos inadequate drivers on their SUVs that think All Wheel drive also means all wheel traction.

Sadly, It doesn't, but there are so many of them.....What's a poor Vermonter to do?

Missed that part and thought you were describing the place in my quote in your response..

The PLACE is dangerous if it's full of poor drivers regardless of their home state. It's same as the WROD being the most dangerous run or the bottlenecks at the end of green trail runouts being more dangerous because the skiers and riders there can't avoid collisions..

 

[crgildart]

White out? Just follow the tail lights of the car in front. Real Close!
That's how they do it on I 91!

No just use the GPS to guide you in the road and hope nobody else is in the way!If you have automatic accident avoidance braking it's probably the same as a self driving car does..

 

[Read Blinn]

Hm. New Hamster doesn't make this list. Ok. They used to say, years ago, that the NH DOT was a good one. Maybe that has something to do with it (though I neither warrant nor dismiss NHDOT currently).