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As a disclaimer, I was born and raised in the South (Chattanooga, TN) but in the 1980's moved north to Indiana and one of the most surprising things I discovered after moving up there was the total lack of places to purchase Tire Chains.  Given as much snow as they have there I thought for sure everyone had chains on their tires but it was totally opposite.  For one the type of snow they usually get was a dry powder type and it was much easier to negotiate.  I also learned to drive in all kinds of snow given the experience I was given the chance to get.

I'm back down South now and plan to stay but having grown up in the South and living in the South now and with winter approaching I thought about how people drive when the South gets a good dose of snow.  It seems to me (and yes I know there are different situations and people) there are three main types of people that you really need to avoid, on the roads.  Those that are so scared of driving in the snow that absolutely doesn't know what they are doing or how to drive in the snow and thus hit the brakes all the time and end up all over the place.  The second type are those that are sure they know how to drive in the snow, although they don't, and as a result, they fly around like their heads are on fire and their *** is catching.  They end up driving far to fast for the conditions and end up getting in situations where they endanger everyone around them.  The third are the thrill seekers who choose a good snow to take their thousands of pounds of vehicle and make it a sled, deliberately trying to slide around on the street no matter who else is around. 

The bad thing about the South is the number of WET snows which are much more difficult to drive in.  The worst driving situation, though, is when there is no snow at all but rather when there is the condition of "black ice".  I can remember having a black ice situation when I lived in Indiana.  It took me a while to even get from the door, of my home, to the truck and when I got in the truck and shut the door that vibration of the door, alone, cause the truck to slide down my drive and across the street.  I knew then that was going to be a day I skipped going into work, at least until the sun was out long enough and road conditions changed.  Black Ice is by far the worst and most dangerous situation I have ever encountered and I hope I never see it again.

Be as the Bereans ( Acts 17:11 )

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North Alabama is right on the edge of snow, and unfortunately that's where the black ice is.  No vehicle can go on straight ice--4wd's, Jeeps, or anything.  And it is ice that really breaks down the trees which cause electrical outages.

I remember living in Memphis once when it started snowing.  We closed my office at noon and went to a restaurant/bar next door.  I got home at midnight when the wrecks were cleared from the roads.  Yep, Southerners don't know how to drive on snow or ice.

When growing up in Nashville, we used to get 2 big snows every year.  No more.  That's Al Gore's Global Warming showing up.

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