It’s snowing in my nation’s capitol, and around here, people suck at driving in slippery conditions. I would have gladly taken the day off, but the Office of Personnel Management’s web page listed the operating status as “OPEN: All employees are expected to report for work on time” when I checked it. So I schlepped in. Apparently, about eight nanoseconds after I checked it, they changed the status to “OPEN under a DELAYED ARRIVAL/UNSCHEDULED LEAVE policy” Buggerall.

Anyway, the important point for drivers around here is that the coefficient of static friction is generally larger than the coefficient of kinetic friction. Translation: once your wheels start to slip, they will tend to continue to slip. You usually want to slow your wheels down, not speed them up, when that happens.