Having driven around Europe in winter, our laughable road "Chaos" is completely down to the use of inapropriate tyres. I've driven around germany at minus 17 as if it were a normal day. I've driven around Sweden in Febuary as if it was a normal day in snow like we never get.
The roads are fine and the traffic is free flowing and safe.
Virtually all European countries have a law that means you have to change your tyres to winter tyres as autumn end sand you can only change back in spring.
http://www.etyres.co.uk/winter-tyres-law
We are all driving around on tyres like these, that are standard fitment of most rep mobiles and family cars now (and are absolutely useless in snow)...
When we should be driving around on something like these...
And god forbid anyone should actually consider using snow chains!
In reality, most roads have had no more than 2" of snow on then and maybe a bit of slush and with the tyres above on, you'd be driving with plenty of grip.
How many of those people (idiots) on TV that had to spend the night in a shelter last night had a shovel, pieces of carpet, a bag of sand or grit, a warm drink, mars bars, a full tank of fuel and snow chains in the cars before they set out on their ill fated journey?
How many had even one of these items in the boot?
I live in the countryside, I expect snow and bad weather, I bought a Jeep and put good all season tyres on it. I can drive through 2 foot of snow to anywhere.. unless the road is blocked by repmobiles stuck on ice because they have carp tyres on. It only takes one car without winter tyres on to block a road or hill. than then closes the road to everyone.
Isn't it about time we stopped being embarrassed as a nation and started using proper winter tyres like the rest of Europe?
Carl