Was born/raised where it snowed maybe 2 times a year, so was not used to it early on. Job & travel has required me to work in various parts of the frozen winter wasteland. Driving in it while not fun sometimes is something I do on occasion. The frenzy & frantic behaviors contribute to the accident quotients. That's only one reason schools close, etc. Superintendents & various govt. folks do not wish to be held accountable if a tragedy occurs, & the road clearing mechanisms in some of the country are extremely inadequate as Chuck referred to earlier. In other words, its just cheaper & safer to let the stuff melt than deal with it's removal a couple of times a year. Jgeorge - it's important to have priorities!