On Wed, 14 Dec 2005 10:16:36 GMT, Jeff Olsen
<
[email protected]> wrote:
>in article [email protected], MrFixit469
>at [email protected] wrote on 12/12/05 8:10 PM:
>> Mandatory in California too. If you don't have chains, you either won't
>> be allowed to enter or leave the ski resort areas.
>
>But surely they don't actually CHECK!?
Yes, they do. And don't call me Shirley.
When the weather calls for "Chains Required" they put up a
roadblock, and a Friendly California Highway Patrol Officer or local
Sheriff/Police Officer will flag the people with their chains
installed right on through, and turn around those without.
And if it's only a "must carry" restriction because they know the
weather is going to get bad in a few hours, you must show him you have
a set in the car before they let you past the checkpoint.
These are usually two-lane highways, so it's easy enough to do.
Takes a bit more effort for a major artery like I-5, but then they
also run the cars through in packs with an officer at the front of the
pack as escort setting a safe pace. Because there's always a yahoo in
an AWD Audi with Blizzak's who thinks 75 MPH in a white-out blizzard
is perfectly safe. For him, yeah, he's got grip to spare - till he
finds the back end of a Semi poking along at 15 MPH because the other
driver wants to see where he's going...
(As soundtrack, insert Nervous Norvus' [sp?] "Transfusion" here.)
It's a whole lot simpler to station one officer to man a tire chain
checkpoint, than all the effort of fishing people and their cars out
of a 300' canyon after the unintended right turn at the first patch of
ice. Not to mention the helicopter time for the hospital trip, and
all the firemen and paramedics...
--<< Bruce >>--
--
Bruce L. Bergman, Woodland Hills (Los Angeles) CA - Desktop
Electrician for Westend Electric - CA726700
5737 Kanan Rd. #359, Agoura CA 91301 (818) 889-9545
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