Age of vehicles.

[JockoT]

Originally Posted by jamesqf

I'd thought "dual carriageway" was what we'd call a divided highway. Not quite a freeway with entrance/exit ramps, but the travel lanes separated, and access only at limited points.

This is correct, but as far as the law is concerned they are just A class roads.
Motorways on the other hand are similar to freeways, normally have a hard shoulder (sometimes designated as a bus lane) which is an emergency refuge and a lane for emergency vehicles, access from the nearside (though the M8, in Glasgow, has an off ramp on the right!), and restrictions for farm tractors, cyclists and learners, among other things.
The dual carriageway North of me is the same as a Motorway, except for no hard shoulder. It has lay-bys, every few miles, in case a driver has to stop.
Here in the UK, most motorists adhere religiously to lane discipline. If a driver is travelling in lane 1 and comes upon a lane hog in lane 2 he will go round him in lane 3! And if there is no lane 3, it is likely he will sit behind the lane hog, flashing his lights. It is definitely not like in the US where, as far as I could see, you just drive in whatever lane takes your fancy.

[Xist]

When I remember I check the police statistics for Phoenix after a four-day holiday weekend. They usually report something like 2,000 officers making 14,000 stops, issuing 6,000 citations, and making 600 DUI arrests. I do not have any idea what the answer to drunk drivers is. A DUI conviction can cost tens of thousands and many still do not seem to learn.

I do not drink or drive on holiday weekends if I can help it. I would rather look at pictures of cats and argue with strangers.

I imagine most people argue the safest way to drive is however they drive. If you do not spin fidget spinners in both hands you should not be allowed to drive!

[JockoT]

Originally Posted by Xist

A DUI conviction can cost tens of thousands and many still do not seem to learn.

Perhaps more information films, like the one below shown on UK channels a few years back.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQtTREndJKk

Scotland has recently lowered its drink drive alcohol limits considerably, compared to the rest of the UK. You can be tested in England, drive 2 miles up the road (and across an unmarked border), get tested in Scotland, and fail.
It is now so strict, that a drink in the evening can have you failing a test going to work the following morning. And all drivers, in every vehicle involved in an accident, to which the police are called, is tested.
There is no sobriety test. It is a breath test, if you refuse you are arrested, and if you continue to refuse a breath, blood or urine sample you are charged with failing to provide a specimen for test. Which has even greater consequences than drink driving!

[basjoos]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

Less contact surface, but it increases the pressure applied to the ground.

A skinny tire can punch through a couple of inches of snow to make contact with the pavement, while the wider tire spins on a thin layer of compacted snow/ice.

The old vw beetles had the advantage in deep snow in that their front tires packed down the loose snow a bit so the weight driven rear tires could more easily punch through to the pavement below. And if the snow was deep enough, the lightweight front end would float up over the loose snow clearing a path for the rear tires. You also didn't have to worry about deep snow piling up against the fire wall inside the engine compartment and drowning the engine as you did with front engined cars.

[redpoint5]

Well, the list shows distracted driving as #1. Shouldn't the penalty for distracted driving be worse than DUI?

I haven't been hit by a drunk driver, but I have been hit by at least 1 distracted driver. Seems there is a disconnect in the risks vs punishment of these behaviors.

[freebeard]

A skinny tire can punch through a couple of inches of snow to make contact with the pavement, while the wider tire spins on a thin layer of compacted snow/ice.

A narrow tire and high pressure are also the solution to hydroplaning; which is more of a problem in the PNW.

[oldtamiyaphile]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

Well, the list shows distracted driving as #1. Shouldn't the penalty for distracted driving be worse than DUI?

I haven't been hit by a drunk driver, but I have been hit by at least 1 distracted driver. Seems there is a disconnect in the risks vs punishment of these behaviors.

When you're drunk you're drunk for the whole journey.

When you're distracted, it's only for a second (hopefully). Besides, if we went after distraction, 99% of the cars today would become illegal.

Want distraction free motoring? Get a '49 Pick up

[Mustang Dave]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

Only two out of my ... fleet ... are less than 20 years old.

I resemble that remark!

[freebeard]

Want distraction free motoring? Get a '49 Pick up

With three inches of play in the steering wheel.

It focuses the mind wonderfully.

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by Old Tele man

With that much 'play' you don't steer the car, you "herd" it along between the road shoulders.

Kind of like riding the horse: I don't steer him, I just sort of persuade him. Though sometimes we have to discuss things a little :-)