Well we had a four inch snowfall here in western Arkansas last Wednesday, Jan. 31 and it was coming down hard. My daughter was in Fort Smith along with my two grandsons and they wanted to come here to Clarksville to visit. On Thursday I decided to try to venture out on I-40 to get them. I was driving my mom's Mercury Grand Marquis, complete with traction control and ABS and thought I would be okay.
The first five miles weren't so bad but the farther along I went the stranger the road surface began to look but I figured it was wet from melting ice. I noticed several rigs come flying past me and then one went across a bridge with his trailer going from side-to-side and then a US Express rig stormed by me and his trailer was doing the same wig-wag thing. I was driving around 35-40 mph when suddenly the rear of my car came around and I found myself going sideways! Remembering to steer in the direction of the skid that's what I did and luckily recovered. I decided I didn't want any more of this and luckily there was an exit less than half a mile ahead. EVEN THOUGH THE ROAD SURFACE LOOKED HALFWAY NORMAL MY INSTINCTS TOLD ME IT WASN'T AND IT WASN'T!
Guys, when your gut tells you something ain't right chances are it isn't! Black ice can be deadly and if I had skidded about a minute sooner when that rig flew past I wouldn't be here to write this. Don't go flying down the interstate during inclement weather just to prove you can and you'll deliver that load on time. There's no load in the world worth your life or the life of another motorist. :shock: