The best example of equipment-induced hubris that I grew up with was people buying a 4-wheel drive pickup to drive during Massachusetts winters.

Yes, it raises your performance. It doesn't magically turn icy, snowy Massachusetts roads into Arizona highway.

The result is that lots and lots of high-performance trucks end up in ditches and smashed into trees.

Yep.

I saw a similar incident in Michigan. Big snow comes up suddenly, work lets out early. Someone with a new four-wheel drive vehicle becomes impatient waiting for clogged traffic to clear, and decides to go over a berm. Wasn't all that high of a berm. Vehicle sat there for three weeks. Kind as of a reminder to all.

People forget that all- and four-wheel _drive_ don't necessarily mean all- and four-wheel _stop_. Especially when you're asking a tire to exceed it's grip level with a sudden braking input.