CA drivers may have issues but at least they don't participate in government mandated suicide pacts like Texans do.

There the off-ramps on 70 mph expressways precede the on-ramps from 30 mph service-roads, and have the right-of-way.

Believe me, who needs coffee in the mourning with the adrenalin rush from the daily mourning death dash to the office; trying to get on a freeway at 30 mph while yielding to (dodging) the 70 mph kamikaze coming out of your blind-spot 50-feet away and aimed up your tailpipe.

Having been to Albany during the winter where there was some decent snow, when I got back I kept telling people that the snow we get over here is nothing.

Heck, if we compared with REALLY frigid parts of the US we'd be shocked.

Forgot to say -- worst fog I ever drove through was around St. Louis. 200 straight miles of pea soup. Interstate was down to like 25-30 mph. I drove over the Mississippi River, and hadn't even realized I was on a bridge. The arch was less than a quarter-mile away, and I didn't see a glimpse of it.

-CW

Sorry I've been remiss in answering comments the past week or so. I promise that I have still read every comment, though -- some lively debates going on, I see! I will get better at the comments soon, you have my word.

LewDan -

The tule ("TOO-lee") fog in the Central Valley is where most of those pileups occur, and it is quite deadly at times on I-5, you're right.

Californians are, in general, terrible drivers in terrible weather. Part of the problem is they get so little practice at it. It doesn't rain here for like nine months straight, and the first rain of the season, everyone has completely forgotten how to drive in the rain (not that they really knew all that much to begin with). "First rain" of the year, I try to stay off all roads.

As for snow, if it ever snowed here, I wouldn't just stay off the roads, I'd barricade myself in my house. When you grow up never practicing driving on snow, ice, or sleet, you have NO idea what to do behind the wheel when it happens.

CA drivers have lots of other problems as well, which is why there's a rumor that there's a sign at the border which says "Now leaving California. Please resume normal driving habits."

Heh.

-CW

We went through that too in Chicago once, resulting in stranded cars on the freeways, an entire new city administration, the sacking of every TV weatherman (save one) and "Snow Command."

The level of panic seems to be inversely proportional to familiarity and preparedness. You should see Chicagoans when there's fog! San Franciscans however all wear x-ray glasses (or think they do) but freak worse than D.C. over snow on the ground.

Though I must admit the occasional seventy-plus car pileups on those foggy expressways made me doubt the sanity of Californians far more than I ever did of those in Washington D.C.