Nope. The average person values their car (colleagues refuse to use their cars for long journeys as "it adds wear and tear" so get hire cars 
). One of my colleagues walks to Southend from Eastwood if it has snowed as he doesn't want to damage his car.
If it was common knowledge that in icy conditions the roads were slippery and there was a high risk of sliding into something, people would either stay at home or learn to drive correctly. There would be very little of this driving around fast in the belief that the council have eradicated all slipperiness.
I'm going to agree wholeheartedly with Nutty. Witness New Year's Day...
Amusing moment of the day came on the high road as we saw people turning round in a passing place further ahead. A chap in a new Landrover Disco had been coming the other way and we had seen him explaining all sorts to the people who were turning round. His window came down when alongside and he explained that further on there were about 30 metres of sheet ice and it was 'interesting'.
Do you have 4 wheel drive? he asked, looking at our Mini... Erm, no. But we'll have a look. Two of the u-turners also informed us of the sad state of affairs. And yet we plugged on. No ice. No ice. No ice. Ooh look, some ice... About 10 metres worth, if that, on a straight section of road. Approach slowly and sensibly, feet off the pedals and... Over. No drama.
Now the guy was really just trying to help, obviously, and that's a good thing. But it really struck as a typical modern urban 4x4 driver over-reacting and thinking he only got over things because of his wondrous beast, and also this society we live in that has no idea about real versus apparent danger or problems. Perceptions these days rule the roost. Perhaps that's why the Daily Wail sells as well as it does. After all, we've all got to keep our kids inside in case the illegal immigrant asylum seeking eastern European paedophiles who killed our people's princess get them...
And so we got into Glen Lyon, rather than forlornly turning back. Followed a little later by a number of other cars. None of them four wheel drive. And none sporting ice-related-leaving-the-road-dents.
I actually ended up shouting at BBC Breakfast again today with their top story of 'It was a bit chilly last night and so there might be ice on the roads so they're terribly terribly dangerous'. Although the reporter did point out at one stage that it might slow people down.
It's January FFS, it gets cold, it gets icy, so get over it.
