This archive report was first published on 3 December 2019.
As newlyweds Anthony and Amy Burt from Devon, England, prepared to return home from their honeymoon in Maine, they were concerned their flight might be added to the cancellations due to the severe winter storm.
‘The snow is hitting pretty hard up here in Portland,’ Mr. Burt said, as they stocked up on snacks, water, and tea for their drive to Boston the next day.
Driving in snow is a challenging task, even for experienced drivers. Snowy roads can be hazardous, and the best-equipped vehicles can still get into trouble.
On Sunday, Marc Lacey, national editor of The New York Times, drove 360 miles through the storm from Buffalo to New Jersey, witnessing numerous accidents along the way.
‘I knew it was a particularly fierce ice storm when I spotted an upended salt truck outside of Buffalo,’ Mr. Lacey said. ‘Over the course of the day, I counted no fewer than 24 accidents.'
Experts say that factors like temperature differences, uneven road salt application, and recent vehicle passage can make one patch of pavement much slipperier than another.
‘We see a lot of people who have grown up in the Snow Belt and have years of driving experience, but their technique leaves a lot to be desired,’ Mark Cox, director of the Bridgestone Winter Driving School, said.
