Here in NC we do have salt trucks and a plan for the few times each winter we we have frozen precip. Looks like we can't say the same for Atlanta - but at least there are a few stories in here of compasionate strangers helping the stranded - remotely reminiscent of Hurricane Sandy.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/29/us/winter-weather-vignettes/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

Yep. I barely made it home last night. Had to back up and take a second shot at a couple of inclines along the way. Took 2 hours to go 11 miles. most of it in first and second gear at 7-10 mph.
Part of the traffic pile ups were caused by just too many cars on the road at the same time. Part of it was ice. Part of it was drivers with no experience on snowy roads, getting overconfident when they had traction and sliding into the ditch when they lost it.
Stayed home today and shoveled the driveway, moving the snow into a trough shape and the kids spent the day sledding down the trough in the driveway across the street and down the neighbors driveway - lots of fun.

I know it's all relative to what you are used to and ice is never fun wherever you are, so I'm not making fun
but
I do have to say that except for the gridlock, that actually looks like a pleasant day's drive home for me.

If I had all wheel drive and studded tires, it would have been a pleasant drive. Unfortunately I have front drive and Goodyear Eagle F1's; a great summer tire. In the winter, they take a set after sitting over night and I have to deal with a flat spot for a mile or two until they round out again.

We have packed snow and ice - at least yesterday morning. The sun came out and even though temps did not get out of the 20's, the "salt" and sunshine worked on the main roads. Residential and heavily shaded roads still iced over.

I broke out "ol' Blue" (my '98 expedition that we bought back in the day to avoid the "stigma" of a family mini-van), cranked up the AWD and sometimes the 4WD and motored on in. Takin' it easy of course to avoid the overconfidence when I do have traction.

From the look of those photos, I could have easily made it home with summer tires. You just have to know how to drive while slippin' 'n slidin'.

Same here - in fact I did make it home. I was more worried about drivers that didn't know how to behave in these conditions. I watched a couple of vehicles spin out or go into the ditch.

It's amazing how many people have no idea how to drive on slippery roads up here where there is lots of them 4-5 months of the year.

And you know, it's the more experienced drivers who are failing. The older generation are still trying to control a skid the way they did in rear wheel drives. Many situations in a front wheel drive require adding gentle gas which, for instance, I just can't convince my Dad is the proper thing to do.

Another fail I see all the time is people who can't get up a slippery but gentle slope because they refuse to turn off the auto traction control. Traction control is a great thing when well underway but most systems really hinder an attempt to get going from a minor stuck or to get up a slippery incline.

You also turn a different direction with a FWD than a RWD. Says my DMV manual from 20 years ago.

Fortunately, we only have to contend with slick roads a couple of days each year. Temp was up to 65 yesterday.

I don't like those overly general statements either. If they didn't go further to explain when to slow down to move weight forward vs. when to add gas gently to regain control then it's still only right 50% of the time.

In fact, the only reason they teach new drivers to "let up and turn into a skid" is because they think that the average person will not have the skill to recover from a skid and is more likely to oversteer and create a dangerous fish tailing experience that is more likely to take down a half a dozen other cars with them.

What they don't tell you is why they tell you to do that. Turning into a skid without adding gas will almost certainly put you into a tight doughnut spin. If the road is snowy, or dirt or something that can add a bit of friction, the idea is that by the time you flip around backwards, the going sideways then backwards against your wheel direction will bring to a complete stop very quickly and maybe even without you even leaving your lane.

On slippery ice though, you just become a spinning Bey Blade Warrior. Now you still have you momentum and you'r a 1/4 ton circular saw blade.

In most cases, I prefer to try and recover or at least control my skid. I may have to make a decision at some point to hit the ditch vs. oncoming traffic but at least it remains my choice. Key word, of course, is "try". I don't claim to be a master driver. I just prefer to try verses give up.

You need to become one with the beyblade
Grasshopper.