Many drivers who have 4wd think it is the key to going (and, it may be) but they don't realize it usually gives little or no assist with stopping, and that is where most of the problems occur. Folks just drive too fast for the conditions and usually that will get you in the ditch, or worse.
Had to drive in most varieties of winter stuff early life in PA and later in the PNW and mountain west, and I feel that the quick developing sheet ice causes extra problems for most people. However, experience driving in such stuff, and the seat of the pants wisdom most sensible folks gain by doing it, makes a big difference when the conditions get so bad.
The average person in the southeast doesn't have such experience and, in the Atlanta situation, it seems clear that not much wisdom was applied to either prep or driving. Seemingly they can't conceive of the idea of sitting somewhere and staying off of the roads in a storm, and a whole lot of them could not figure out how to drive so they could stop as needed. Their blaming/complaining about the government guys is a lousy excuse for weak individual performance.
