I'm noticing more of a 'Ghetto craze' happening lately...or mebbe it's because I'm driving a car as old as I am.
I swear, though, I've seen more 70's and 80's box cars out on the streets. However, I do believe winter is a strong factor here. It definitely is in my situation. It feels somewhat safer in a car with a V8 that weighs in the neighborhood of 4000-5000 pounds when you get around 3 feet of snow a week!