... but they don't!
It's amazing how quickly traffic comes to a standstill with even the lightest of dustings... end of last week for example, I94 had people going 25 in a 60 in the left lane, with no congestion, when it started snowing lightly... even by the time I got to work (it took almost an hour for a 15-mile trip) less than 1/16 of an inch had fallen.
Then this monday, we have maybe half an inch of snow and slush, and SOMEONE manages to spin out in the left lane despite moving with traffic at less than 10 mph... needless to say, traffic after that was going less than 5 mph and was stop and go for miles upstream of that idiot.
The day after, people were going 30 in a 60 despite the roads being completely clear and dry and having half a minute of following distance on the traffic ahead, as if the snow the day prior had given them some kind of post-traumatic stress disorder that made them incapable of operating a vehicle. They always like to drive matching speed across the road, too, so no one can pass them, causing traffic to stack up for miles.
This is Minnesota, one of the coldest, snowiest places in North America... driving in snow is not rocket science, and these people have no excuse for these shenanigans. They are not snow virgins. With the same road conditions as people are scared to go 15mph in a straight line, I have no trouble at all racing pylons in an empty lot, and when people are SOMEHOW managing to spin out doing 10 on the interstate, I can do 40 around a hairpin without losing control of my car. WHY are drivers here so obtuse? WHY can't they handle such a simple task as commuting to work in the snow? it boggles the mind!
P.S., snow tires should be compulsory between December and March for a Class D. Can't afford them? take a bus.