Miata Mailing List: December 1997, Message #237
sponsored by



     



From: 	"Reijo Silvennoinen, P.Eng." <rase@direct.ca>

Subject: Re: Auto-wash/Frozen North/outlaw road salt

Date: 	Tue, 2 Dec 1997 21:30:31 +0000



Bill Bowser wrote:



> Since you have brought up one of my pet peeves, I thought I woud add

> my two

> cents worth.

>

> Stepping up onto nearby soapbox -

>

> It has long been my contention that when the average motorist starts

> to

> realize the actual cost of putting salt on roads to melt ice and snow

> the

> practice will soon end.  Just a couple of weeks ago I heard a report

> on the

> radio from the Ohio Department of Transportation in which they proudly

>

> proclaimed that they had something like 375,000 tons of salt ready to

> spread on Ohio's state highways (and wreck your cars.)  The amount of

> damage done each year to all the cars throughout the parts of the

> world

> where road salt is used must be enormous.

>

> In 1982 I bought a new Toyota pickup truck which I kept for 14 years.

> When

> I sold it for $100 in 1996, it had holes through the body, holes in

> the

> floorboard through which water splashed when it rained, the driver's

> side

> seat be lt anchorage in the floor had disintegrated, but the deisel

> engine

> and other running gear was still in god shape.  I had paid something

> like

> $6,100 tor the truck when new and if it had been rust free it probably

>

> would have been worth $3,000 to $4,000.  For the sake of this

> discussion,

> let's say $2,900.  That means that the use of road salt resulted in a

> loss

> of $2,800, or $200 per year.  If you multiply $200 times the number of

> cars

> similarly exposed to road salt you begin to realize  what an

> incredibly

> expensive way to deal ice and snow this is.

>

> Stepping down from soapbox now,

>

> Bill Bowser & Drifter

> Black & Red '93 LE, who has never been exposed to road salt & is

> currently

> hibernating in

> Cincinnati, Ohio



  Hear! Hear!



I second the motion!



Furthermore, rather than use salt, let's have the driver's with fear (or

lack of skill in...) of snow and ice take a course in winter driving

instead!  I'm sure it would help to reduce accidents more than road

salt....any insurance companies listening?   I should only hope.



Regards,



Reijo Silvennoinen

(in Edmonton,....headed for Calgary.....last

stop....Vancouver?????....soon I hope...I almost forget what the other

half looks like!)