Grandpa, tell me bout the good ole days............

[Dftodd]

What do crash tests say? What does their definition of "SAFER" even mean? Avoiding an accident? Getting less hurt in an accident?

Wifes car has all the lane and blind spot monitoring. The blind spot monitoring is decent. It just lights up a little yellow emblem on the mirror when someone is in your blind spot.

The lane monitoring has a toggle button to turn it on and off. That got switched off. It would scare the daylights out of you beeping and blaring. Sometimes flashing red lights on the windshield while your passing someone on a rural road.

 

[MossRoad]

Interesting article, but it doesn't go into the "why" of it, just some brief speculation. Statistics can be misleading...what's the ratio of 4/AWD to 2WD versions of a given vehicle. If one outsells the other 10:1, then a smaller number of accidents becomes much larger proportionately. What about the type of person who buys the 2WD model vs the 4?

I'd take this article with a grain of salt.

It's based on deaths per million registered vehicle years. So if one outsells the other 10:1, it doesn't matter using those statistics.

All wheel drive vehicles and 4 wheel drive vehicles are safer statistically. Rain, sleet, snow, dirt, oil, braking, etc... there's videos out there that show side by side comparisons.

 

[goeduck]

I can say I nearly died years ago by not having my truck in 4WD going up a mountain pass. Snow was a freak storm I did not anticipate and in 2WD the rear end spun out when I went out of control. Headed for a guardrail and ravine twice, spun around once and only ended up on the road when I came to a stop by the grace of God and knowing how to compensate. Manually locking hubs so I had no means to flip a switch and get under control. Never again did I drive that vehicle without the hubs locked in any situation where snow was remotely possible.

That all said, on dry pavement when steering is your only means of accident avoidance, many 2WD vehicles may very well be better. But all in, particularly when snow or slippery roads are involved, I would say 4WD is better.

 

[Industrial Toys]

In 4wd, on a sun glazed snow covered back road, I can mash the brakes on my 08 Duramax and nothing would suggest you had done so. Given the choice, I would have drum brakes all around and none of that technology.

 

[Jstpssng]

In 4wd, on a sun glazed snow covered back road, I can mash the brakes on my 08 Duramax and nothing would suggest you had done so. Given the choice, I would have drum brakes all around and none of that technology.

In those conditions nothing will matter, unless you have steel in your tires. I try not to "Mash my brakes" anyways...

 

[Fuddy1952]

This (I hope) people find funny. About 20 years ago wife and I were at my parents for dinner when it started snowing like crazy. We left, I drove the 15 miles home here. It got really bad...cars/trucks off the road going home. There's this 1 mile straight stretch down then uphill. I rode center crown, about 35 mph. We made it...wife thumbing her nose at all the 4x4s stuck. We were in a '66 Rambler American, 3 on tree, of course no posi...heavy toolbox in truck over driven wheel.
I think lots of people with 4x4 get over confident. My tractor is 4x4...I have to have it.

 

[Jstpssng]

This (I hope) people find funny. About 20 years ago wife and I were at my parents for dinner when it started snowing like crazy. We left, I drove the 15 miles home here. It got really bad...cars/trucks off the road going home. There's this 1 mile straight stretch down then uphill. I rode center crown, about 35 mph. We made it...wife thumbing her nose at all the 4x4s stuck. We were in a '66 Rambler American, 3 on tree, of course no posi...heavy toolbox in truck over driven wheel.
I think lots of people with 4x4 get over confident. My tractor is 4x4...I have to have it.

At the end of the day the driver matters more than what's being driven. Alot of people don't realize that the worst thing in snow is a pickup truck with no weight in the back.

 

[MossRoad]

At the end of the day the driver matters more than what's being driven. Alot of people don't realize that the worst thing in snow is a pickup truck with no weight in the back.

I drive a 3/4 ton Ford work van at my employer's. When it snows, it can't get out of the parking lot, which is just mildly sloped. We put a skid in the back and then 15 or so bags of water softener salt at the first snow and it stays there until spring.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Kills me. My Dad was involved selling steel wire to GM for decades. Told me how ellated engineers were to save an once of weight here and there. Along comes Bob that throws a few hundred pounds of weight in his half ton just for traction.

 

[Dftodd]

I drive a 3/4 ton Ford work van at my employer's. When it snows, it can't get out of the parking lot, which is just mildly sloped. We put a skid in the back and then 15 or so bags of water softener salt at the first snow and it stays there until spring.

Back when I worked for an alarm company in Vermont, we had a 3/4 ton work van.

We pulled everything off the floor and slid a 4x8 sheet of 1/2" plate steel in the back. We then reloaded the van. That made a huge difference.