Michigan winter driving is a unique skill that we can only learn by living through it.

There's no manual.

There's no certification.

We just get thrown into it one November morning when the first snow hits, and we either figure it out or we end up in a ditch.

The first rule of Michigan winter driving is that all driving rules are now suggestions.

Speed limits? More like speed goals that we'll never actually reach because the roads are covered in ice and slush.

Lane markers? Gone, buried under snow.

We're just guessing where the lanes are and hoping everyone else is guessing in roughly the same direction.

Every Michigan driver has a collection of winter driving horror stories.

The time we slid through a red light because our brakes did absolutely nothing.

The time we spun out on the highway and somehow didn't hit anyone.

The time we got stuck in your own driveway and had to dig ourself out before work.

These aren't rare occurrences.

This is just winter.

Many warm states see snow and cancel everything. School's closed. Work's closed. The city shuts down.

Michigan gets six inches overnight, and everyone just drives slower and complains more.

We're still going to work. We're still dropping kids off at school.

We're still living our lives, just with significantly more stress and worse gas mileage.

The morning commute in winter is psychological warfare.

We leave 20 minutes early because we have to scrape a solid inch ice off our windshield, brush snow off our car, and let the engine warm up.

Then we get on the road and immediately regret it. Everyone's either going 15 mph in the left lane or 70 mph in the right lane with a death wish. There's no in-between.

Black ice is the ultimate villain of Michigan winter driving.

We can't see it. We don't know it's there until our car starts moving in directions you didn't tell it to go.

We're just driving along, minding our business, and suddenly physics stops working and we're sliding sideways, praying we don't hit anything.

Four-wheel drive doesn't make us invincible, but try telling that to the guy in the massive pickup truck flying past everyone at 80 mph in a blizzard.

We'll see that same truck in a ditch 10 miles later.

The unwritten rules of Michigan winter driving include giving everyone extra space because nobody can stop quickly, we don't trust your brakes,

we accelerate gently, or our wheels will just spin, and if you start sliding, don't panic (even though you absolutely will panic).

Also, when we see someone stuck, we stop and help push.

That's the code.

Snow tires are a debate that divides Michigan drivers.

Some swear by them. Others say all-season tires and good driving skills are enough.

Both groups will judge each other, and both will end up in ditches at some point anyway because winter doesn't care about your tire choice.

The phrase "it's not that bad out" is Michigan winter driving's greatest lie.

Someone always says it right before getting in their car and immediately regretting leaving the house.

Yes, it is that bad.

It's always that bad.

But we're going anyway because we have things to do.

Parking lots in winter are absolute chaos. The lines are invisible. Everyone's parked at weird angles.

There are 10 ft snowbanks blocking spaces.

We have no idea if we're actually in a spot or if we just created your own spot.

Nobody knows. Nobody cares. We're all just trying to survive.

By February, Michigan drivers are numb to it. The first snow in November is terrifying.

By February, we're driving through a blizzard with one hand on the wheel and a coffee in the other like it's nothing.

We've adapted. We've evolved. We're a winter driving veteran now.

Michigan winter driving isn't fun.

It's not safe. But it's necessary, and Michiganders do it every single year without a second thought.

We complain, we slide, we get stuck, and then we do it all again the next day.

Because that's just what you do when you live in Michigan.

Winter doesn't stop us.

It just provides us an opportunity to take our driving skills to the next level.

Stay Safe

A-Jay

Just gonna guess the truck ain’t that shiny at the present moment.

7 minutes ago, Chris at Tech said:

Just gonna guess the truck ain’t that shiny at the present moment.

It might be shiny,

But it's hard to tell since it's covered with a serious layer of sand, salt, and frozen road.

Will stay that way for at least a couple more months.

And another reason I trade them in every 3 years.

Be ordering the new one in May for delivery in November this year.

Always a good time.

A-Jay

A countdown to a new truck AND a Baccarac trip? How will you possibly cope with that excitement? Ha!

You forgot the stories from your elders on how much worse the winters were in their days. 😂

At least you guys up north have plenty of experience in it every year. Growing up in Pittsburgh and living in Cleveland for a while taught me winter driving at an early age (16). We had a rear wheel drive truck which made things all the harder. Learning to drive in the snow isn’t about the driving. It’s about avoiding all the pitfalls that will cause you a problem and like you said, you only get that by experience (and lots of playing around in freshly snowed parking lots!!).

Here in NJ, we have a lot of people that didn’t grow up in snow and are lacking that experience. Heck, they aren’t good drivers on clear roads. When snow hits here, there are plenty of people that don’t have that inbuilt respect for what can happen. The stupid get stoopider and make worse decisions. I don’t worry about me on the road, I worry about everyone else. And there is a lot of stoopid here.

This is our current state of play, all coming down in the past 2 hours. My wife went out before it was this much and even though it’s only 2”, it’s coming down faster than it can get cleared. Good day to heat up the garage and work on tackle.

Nailed it!

This winter 6poundbass is leaning to drive. A few weeks back we got dumped on. He had a snow day and I did too. We finished shoveling the driveway and I said let’s go for a drive. He asked about 4WD and I said nope, that’s cheating.

We stayed on back roads that weren’t plowed and drifting. A couple we went down no one had been down. Where’s the road dad? Keep between the ditches and you’ll be fine. Then a truck comes towards us, 10” of snow, and no tracks to follow. He learned a lot that day.

Today’s lesson, wind swept roads.

4wd is for getting you out of what 2wd got you into.

Very true @casts_by_fly . My dad went his entire life here in Michigan with a 2WD truck until a few years back he got a good deal on a 4WD with 4x4. Funny thing is, he hardly drives it in the winter. It’s all about being smart, having good tires, some weight in the back, and a good throttle foot. I rarely use my 4WD in my personal truck.

My work truck is a different story. It’s a 2018 F150 and it seems like that thing will lose traction on wet grass. The aluminum body probably doesn’t help.

19 hours ago, TOXIC said:

stories from your elders on how much worse the winters were in their days

They were. I'm on the coast, near Boston, and the winters are milder now compared to 15 years ago, never mind when I was a kid. We hardly get any real snow anymore. It's January and my snow blower is still in the shed.

21 hours ago, A-Jay said:

Michigan winter driving is a unique skill that we can only learn by living through it.

Yeah, how I ever got around when I was younger in all my early '70's, RWD, V8 cars? .... Snow tires and practice. We all got pretty good at drifting and doughnuts.

12 minutes ago, DogBone_384 said:

We hardly get any real snow anymore.

So no massive snow-forts like I use to build living in Worcester back in the 60s?

Far as driving - my behind-the-wheel training was in northern MN in January. It's a strange feeling when you pull up to a stop sign in a 1976 Ford LTD, come to a complete stop....then the car starts sliding towards the curb. That's what I learned in.

1 minute ago, MN Fisher said:

So no massive snow-forts

Nope. I think my mother has pictures of the 'city' we built in the parking lot adjacent to our neighborhood after the Blizzard of '78.

Nice. It's snowing here in Georgia right now and at 34 degrees, it might last a few hours. Believe I'll go spoon fishing.

2 hours ago, DogBone_384 said:

I think my mother has pictures of the 'city' we built

I was probably in 5th and we had a snow day. I had the genius idea of taking our snow blower to the back yard. By the time my dad got home, his back yard had no snow except for a giant 6’ tall snow dome, four neighborhood kids digging tunnels, and an empty five gallon gas can. All he could do is laugh.

I swear that thing was there until early May. 😂

I grew up in Nebraska. Winter and below zero temps just meant put on another layer. When you couldn’t feel your hands or feet it was time to go in and warm up. I remember a few blizzards in my teen days. One I lived in an apartment and the snow reached our deck on the second floor. We took grocery orders from all of the people in our building and used old car hoods as sleds to bring back groceries. My first winter working for the FDIC and they brought in a lot of transplants, we had a storm and I pulled into the office parking lot with the front bumper of my Ford LTD pushing snow. I went in and the security officer asked what I was doing there and I said it’s a workday, he said they closed the office. 😂😝

We had a very slight dusting and a little blowing snow yesterday morning. I'm always amazed when some of these drivers actually try to spin and make their vehicle slide.

Got my licence in 69, first snow storm my father told me to go to community pool parking lot around the corner.

He said see how it handles in the snow, slam the brakes, hit the gas, turn the wheel, spin it around, just don't hit the light poles!

This was in my first car, a 58 Chevy Bel-Air, lesson's stayed with me till this day.