You would think people would know better in the Pittsburgh area, but the range of winter driving skills is extreme. On one hand you have the jay-birds who do not adjust their speeds at all-- they slip and slide all over the road and either get involved in fender benders or cause them. At the other extreme, you have the timid Tillies who over adjust-- they slow so much they can't get up even a fairly minor hill and neither can the mile long line of people behind them.
There are, fortunately, a few people who know enough to drop into a lower gear and keep it slow and steady up the hill without fishtailing.
I think PennDOT actually spoils people with their constant salting and deicing when they can get there. They shine in the winter; the rest of the year not so much.