Look at these cars sliding on the snowy streets of Vladivostok on Friday

Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2017/11/21/look-at-these-cars-sliding-on.html

2 Likes

I’ve seen this video before… But it was Portland with only an inch of snow.

3 Likes

I find it reassuringly Russian that the entire point is to vote for the best video. Not the fact that it all happened in the first place.

2 Likes

That’s basically Wichita Kansas every time we get even a mild storm (despite the fact that’s normal for winter in Southern Kansas).

1 Like

A more accurate headline is “icy streets”. Just snow doesn’t act like this, there has to be a solid layer of ice underneath. Dry snow on top of ice is the worst! I speak as someone who lives in an area of the US that gets a lot of different types of winter precipitation. We don’t mind just snow, but ice is certainly treacherous as these videos show.

5 Likes

The guy who runs between the sliding van and the compact car sliding down after it had a good shot at a Darwin Award candidacy before he suddenly realized it was a bad idea and backed out. WTF, Russian guy, what were you thinking?

4 Likes

Don’t worry - he was wearing a track suit. It’s essentially armor.

2 Likes

I’m just delighted that the tractor was sporting a mowing deck. Man, they’re prepared for everything!

The car gives birth at 0:28.

https://youtu.be/Y7jf8B1usvA

4 Likes

Airplanes too.

3 Likes

It is useful to contemplate life without friction every now an then. This video helps with that contemplation.

1 Like

I’m in Edmonton where it stays fairly consistently below zero during the winter and the roads are generally fine during proper winter.

The road issues come up in the spring and fall when you hit a thaw/freeze cycle and ice starts forming. Though sidewalks tend to be worse since the roads are salted.

But snow + ice is especially bad due to the ridiculously low coefficient of friction of the snow on ice.

1 Like

Likewise in Alaska. Ice at -20C is reasonably drivable. That transitional stuff with powdered sugar on top - look out.

I do wonder - do the Russians typically use winter tires? Makes driving in this stuff considerably less dramatic.

I guess once you go down the path of communism it’s just a slippery slope

2 Likes

every time about this time of year…

1 Like

…they certainly need train horns just saying

…and cameras that point up too

have not seen evacuation tips for vehicles any time

1 Like

Physics is a harsh mistress indeed.

A sober reminder that cars are very, very heavy objects…

(Unnecessarily heavy, If you ask me. 1.5t to move an 80kg human? Insane!)

Ugh. Wichita. At least it’s flat. Big problem in Portland is the hills, once you start to go downhill, there’s not much you can do if your car doesn’t have tires with traction.

1 Like