When you are 500 miles from home, the plows and salt trucks are a welcome sight. I noticed a 100 plus pile up near Grand Rapids today. More salt please.
We had a big one like that on I 35 in the 70s. Lots of cars. Guy I knew was riding with his brother and asked why the cars in the other lane were flashing their lights? Crash bang, found out.
There is a mountain pass between I-15 and Logan, Utah that requires chains when there is enough snow/ ice.
When I was in Grand Rapids it seemed pretty flat.
I wonder how they control this… Just North of Tucson, Arizona, is Mount Lemmon, the southern most ski resort in the country… They do not get snow many times of the year, but when they do, the police set a roadblock to prevent those with inadequate winter driving tires, chains, etc… from going up the mountain in the snow… They believe stationing a police officer there controlling traffic is a whole lot more efficient use of resources than what would be required if all those (I can drive in anything mentality…) ill prepared drivers to be rescued once they run off the roads, having accidents, etc…
PS: on some of the lookout points, are he hulks cars that ran off the road years ago…
And I posted about this several years ago…
I’ve seen videos of police enforcing the chain requirement and a few enterprising folks putting them on for you or even selling a set if you don’t have any. On the other hand one car or truck without chains sliding out of control can tie up traffic for hours.
Never used them myself but I remember a big storm in Sioux Falls. The grad student across the street put those straps on his front tires of his toronodo. I couldn’t aford either the car or chains so made do. Carried a shovel. We lived on the main road as a kid and I’d often see a guy in a jeep with chains. No one else on the road but he was having no problem. Not used much anymore with plows and salt.
The Utah State Police are stationed at the pass and check every vehicle for compliance.