I agree - It's learned behavior. When I ws a kid growing up in Dallas, we had a similar ice storm with snow. Two inches stopped everything and brought on chaos. My Dad had grown up in Illinois and had a 4x4, so he went everywhere no problem. I have lots of snow driving experience, so I would probably be OK in icy conditions, although you need a certain delicate touch and I am a bit rusty. We rarely get snow on the Channel Islands.