I drove to work in NYC before one storm. It wasn't THAT bad of a storm. But I spent a good 2 hours on the Palisades Parkway vs my usual 20 min trip, not just because of the conditions but everyone else on the Pkwy was going 20 mph. And even THEN there were spin outs etc.
Ahh, toxic masculinity...It's always the other guy's fault, and NEVER my fault....
I think the issue in the November storm years ago was the hills on Routes 280 and 80; drivers had a hard time getting up and there were accidents. I remember news footage of buses stopped on Route 3 westbound after leaving the Lincoln Tunnel; they were letting passengers off to use the bathrooms in the restaurants and gas stations along the highway.
Another unmentioned problem is that as NJ ran out of money they eliminated mechanical inspections for vehicles; they inspect for emissions only - so cars with bald tires, broken headlights/taillights, cracked windshields, etc. (which would have failed inspection in the past) are more common. You can still be ticketed for those things by cops, but you won’t fail inspection. In bad areas the car fleet on the road can look like you’re in Mogadishu...