It depends on the region of the US. There were times I've driven to the Minneapolis airport in 4"+ of snow falling down - flew to Washington DC, and found the world doing an emergency shutdown out there. In areas where you get snow, it is a very normal thing. In areas that don't get snow or ice, it is almost comical how many cars are in the ditches.
Some States salt, some don't. Some don't even have the equipment. Studded tires are not usually allowed. I've got winter tires for my 996, as summer tires are terrible up here in the winter. A good all season works well enough.
The internet went nuts over this scene in Raleigh NC about 9 years ago, where vehicles caught fire after their drivers over-revved them trying to get up a hill.
To be fair, it's not entirely their fault. There just isn't much snow-clearing equipment in southern states - but that's because there's only a "major" (for the area) snowfall every 2-3 years. So there's no point in the state paying for that equipment, and there's no point in people owning winter tires (and needing a place to store them in the summer). And when severe weather does happen, often it's ice not snow. Everyone is going to have a bad day driving on ice.
I do think the point from other posters about modern safety & stability systems making people get complacent is a good one.
Anecdotal data: A former boss kept a count of ditched vehicles on his way to the office one time: 12. Of which 11 were Ford Explorers. They're not bad vehicles, just that that the fact they were driving an SUV caused the drivers to become overconfident.
Wow, 12 vehicles just on the commute? I have never seen this living in a snowy region. I would barely see ditched vehicles at all. Do you mean ditched as in "abandoned after slipping off the road"? I would see one or two every 50k miles. Though it is better to ditch than to drive yourself into an accident, I think.
The over-revving story is hilarious but concerning. It's clear that these drivers were not taught to drive on ice. I suppose it's best to leave the car on the side of the road and return later if you have no instruction, training, and haven't sought out any knowledge for ice driving.
"Ditched" as in "off the road and in the ditch", sorry wasn't clear.
Any training for driving on ice is going to be verbal only, as it would probably be 2+ years before the next winter storm and a chance to acquire practical skills. "Steer into the direction of the skid" doesn't acquire real meaning until you've actually had to do that.
Some States salt, some don't. Some don't even have the equipment. Studded tires are not usually allowed. I've got winter tires for my 996, as summer tires are terrible up here in the winter. A good all season works well enough.