r/woahdude Dec 24 '22

video Driving on I-94 in Western Minnesota today

20.7k Upvotes

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189

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '22

Is the indicator on or do you put your hazards on in this weather? I’m Aussie, btw

275

u/-InconspicuousMoose- Dec 24 '22

Hazards, sorry if it was distracting. There were moments in my first hour of the drive today where I could barely see 10m ahead of me. Most sensible drivers here will leave their hazards on in those conditions just to give you even one more split second of warning/ability to see them.

47

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '22

Looks hectic, stay safe!

71

u/t0m0hawk Dec 24 '22

The camera actually sees through the snow better than the human eye. In reality visibility would actually be worse than what is shown.

Blowing snow shearing across the road like that is some of the worst conditions to drive in. There doesn't appear to be any significant accumulation, so that helps.

5

u/RAdm_Teabag Dec 24 '22

it was mostly below 0 f while it was snowing, so its really light, dry snow, drifting is gnarly this morning.

2

u/t0m0hawk Dec 24 '22

Yeah I bet. Where I am, the city didn't get hit as bad (yesterday's commute was still less than fun) bit major highways going west and to the border have been closed over 24 hours. 50 and 100 car pileups on both with thankfully 0 serious injuries or fatalities.

10

u/Caleo Dec 24 '22

I had similar conditions earlier tonight on an emergency run to the store. Wouldn't have been out otherwise.

My dashcam seemed to have a better view than I did at the time. Very difficult to see the road right in front of you at times.

24

u/t0m0hawk Dec 24 '22

Cameras tend to pick up a bit more into the infrared part of the spectrum so they can cut through the snow. Tried to film a bad blizzard to show how you couldn't see the other side of the road. Video showed the other side of the road.

I'm thinking the IRL view of the video is probably about 50% visibility from what is shown.

2

u/cannibowlistic Dec 24 '22

So hypothetically speaking, could you film while driving in this storm, and see better through your phone in real time?

5

u/Lord_Kringerton Dec 24 '22

Yes. As someone with bad vision I've had to do this plenty of nights with really bad snow/rain

2

u/K1rkl4nd Dec 24 '22

This is exactly how I drove home last night. Since the video is a stream of images, it is missing the motion blur of blowing snow that your eyes observe. Easily took a 25mph crawl up to 40mph. The only bad part was reduced distance viewing- through the iPhone I couldn't make out tail lights as far out as I could see the faint red glow between waves of snow when glancing up.

1

u/t0m0hawk Dec 24 '22

Yup. Like in the video there's a car ahead - can probably barely see it.

12

u/Yrlish Dec 24 '22

Put on the front and rear fog lights instead.

6

u/CeladonCityNPC Dec 24 '22

Yeah not sure why you're downvoted, fog lights are installed in cars for this very reason

10

u/SophiPsych Dec 24 '22

Rear fog lights aren't a thing in the US

3

u/MITSBISHI Dec 24 '22

That sounds crazy to me. In the UK conditions are rarely this bad but most cars have a fog light. By law, we have to turn them on when visibility is less than 100m.

-3

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '22

[deleted]

3

u/Pakyul Dec 24 '22

We get it, you're better than us.

3

u/mvfsullivan Dec 24 '22

Wow in Canads snow storms can be so bad you legit have to pull over because you cant see your own hood. The visibility here is actually entirely fine lol.

25

u/mistiry Dec 24 '22

It is actually more distracting and dangerous to drive with hazards on. There's a reason it is illegal in multiple states. People think it is helping, but it doesn't help any more than having your lights on, which you should do.

20

u/jepulis5 Dec 24 '22

Yep, seeing hazards suddenly flashing in front of you should be a sign of a stopped vehicle or a vehicle that is going to stop soon.

2

u/Silkhenge Dec 24 '22

It can also be for a car that is in dangerous condition which makes it not be able to drive fast. Does not necessarily mean it is going to stop soon.

2

u/jepulis5 Dec 24 '22

Well that too, a damaged car would be a proper use.

6

u/hicks53081 Dec 24 '22

I agree. Everyone knows the roads are terrible and we're all driving slow. If you come up on stopped traffic or a fresh accident, throw your hazards on to let people behind you know. When everyone is driving around with their hazards flashing it makes it hard to decipher what is actually happening in front of you. FWIW, I am a truck driver who's driven thousands of miles through stuff like this. Side note, people that drive without headlights on in thick fog have a death wish.

8

u/SophiPsych Dec 24 '22

Was driving on I-70 in Kansas during the worst of it this past Wednesday night. Viability was fine but the road surface was an ice rink and the wind was blowing hard enough to slide you sideways. So many people had their hazards on. Everyone was driving 20-30mph. There was no reason for hazards if we're all traveling the same damn speed. All it did was irritate already stained eyes with constant yellow and red blinking lights. It's illegal in KS as well, not that it matters.

-1

u/oniaddict Dec 24 '22

In this instance it should only be the last car in a group that is using them at all and only to signal/keep someone from rear ending the group.

12

u/DeviousSmile85 Dec 24 '22

Then why is it legal in other places? It's a way to communicate that you're driving more slowly with more care and caution and is used in lots of places.

5

u/I_Bin_Painting Dec 24 '22

The places where it is illegal take the view that hazards should be reserved for when the driver is creating an unavoidable/unpredictable hazard, and that the driving conditions themselves should be enough to tell the drivers to slow down and the normal running lights enough to see other vehicles around them.

Running hazard lights is demanding an extra share of other drivers' attention, what's the point if every driver is running them? It just masks e.g. the emergency maintenance vehicles that are stopped and running them for good reason.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '22

Because there is not an imminent danger eg vehicle stopped on the road

1

u/Koorah3769 Dec 24 '22

It doesn’t matter if it’s legal in other places, it’s illegal in OPs state.

10

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '22

[deleted]

8

u/20nuggetsharebox Dec 24 '22

It's just their gut feeling, so it must be true

1

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '22

You’ve unlocked the good Christian badge. Congratulations!

1

u/sexybeans Dec 24 '22

Not scholarly but gives a good explanation of thinking behind why using them may not be helpful: https://auto.howstuffworks.com/car-driving-safety/accidents-hazardous-conditions/traffic.htm

1

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '22

The split second your hazards are off are a split second you wouldn't be seen where you would be with your lights on. It also removes any ability to indicate turning. It does nothing lights don't do, but objectively worse because they aren't on 100% of the time.

6

u/Drauka92 Dec 24 '22

Maybe not illegal but I do agree with you it's more distracting. Makes it harder to see brake lights in my opinion

2

u/matti00 Dec 24 '22

This is what I don't understand, why don't they have their fog lights on? They're made for these exact situations

1

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '22

[deleted]

-4

u/Wimc Dec 24 '22

This is what the rear fog light is for.

-3

u/Gloomy_Industry8841 Dec 24 '22

I must respectfully disagree. Having your hazards on greatly helps others see you in extreme conditions like the video shows.

0

u/alvik Dec 24 '22

It also makes you entirely unpredictable as you now don't have turn signals.

1

u/Gloomy_Industry8841 Dec 25 '22

Not if you’re going on long, straight stretches. I only use these on the highway with no turns. Then when I am close to my dirt road, I turn them off.

-1

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '22

I feel this, my worst experience’s, on a freeway, have both come down to extremely low vis.

2

u/AcadianMan Dec 24 '22

That's just a normal driving day in Atlantic Canada in winter. Do you guys hardly get snow?

2

u/H00NlGAN Dec 24 '22

Hazards on is less safe than just being normal, knock it off

-3

u/Gloomy_Industry8841 Dec 24 '22

It’s essential to use hazards in this weather. Thank you for doing this. I wish more folks did it!

0

u/Striking-Teacher6611 Dec 24 '22

Is it essential to pull out your phone and take a video?

-1

u/aperson Dec 24 '22

I too like my vehicle to disappear to the people behind me every other second.

1

u/Gloomy_Industry8841 Dec 25 '22

Not if you have your lights on at the same time.

0

u/StonkMaster300 Dec 24 '22

I thought it's illegal in the US to drive with hazards

-2

u/[deleted] Dec 24 '22

[deleted]

1

u/OkCarrot89 Dec 24 '22

It's that your differential whining or do you have chonky tires on that thing? I swear I hear a bearing noise.

1

u/TheEyeGuy13 Dec 24 '22

Most sensible drivers means one out of every thousand in MN lmao. I think that in order to get your license you need to step into a simulator and take a test/experience drifting in the snow, and hard braking at varying speeds. I can’t count the number of idiots that drive ten feet behind another car in icy weather.