Warp wrote:
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMzeiMJQrvk
> 
>   I have heard that in many places in the US they don't even know about
> the concept of winter tires (such as studded tires, which are used in
> Finland in winter), even at places where it snows. Seeing videos like
> this one seems to confirm this.

There are parts of the US where it snows once every decade, at the very 
most.  Where I lived in California, it wasn't even cold enough to snow 
except on exactly one night during the three years I lived there.  It is 
generally the case that snow tires purchased will wear out and require 
replacement before they are needed.

One of the biggest laughs I ever had was watching a news report of snow 
in a part of California where snow falls once every two or three years. 
  A car was coming up to a traffic light.  The light came on.  The brake 
lights of the car came on very clearly and brightly.  The car continued 
to move with the same speed and in the same direction.

I grew up in Michigan, which routinely gets a 30cm snowfall on at least 
one night every winter, and more at other times throughout the year. 
Even there the first snowfall of the year throws people for a loop 
(because after seven months of not dealing with it, the skills get 
rusty).  The Detroit area has one of the largest natural salt supplies 
in the world (decades ago, ten percent of the world's salt production 
came from the area), so the salt trucks are deployed very quickly.  The 
cars there are rusted out very quickly, but since the car industry is 
big there, this is considered a good thing.

In the South, a 1 cm snowfall is reputed to paralyze entire cities.

Regards,
John

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