By Vanessa Mavie Hofer
With a very big sigh I have to announce that summer is officially over and we are heading towards winter time. While winter comes with a lot of fun things, like Thanksgiving or Christmas, it also comes with some very dangerous ones. Like snow. Or in particular, driving in snow. Especially in our beloved little town of McPherson, that often grows to be a big problem, because streets are easily becoming almost undriveable. In order to try to avoid as many crashes as we can, I hereby provide you a guide of how to drive safe in the snow.
First of all – let’s be so for real – just stay at home. As much as you can. Nobody wants to go out in this cold, much less drive in this snow. But if you really have to go out, for really important stuff like getting your daily Iced Latte, listen up now.
Before even getting in your car you should make sure to remove any ice or snow off your car. If you don’t, so-called “fenderbergs” (mean clumps of snow and ice) can accumulate under your car’s fender, get stuck in your wheels and finally prevent your tires from turning. So, make sure to always have a brush and scraper in your car with which you can clear your vehicle’s roof, hood, trunk lid and all windows.
Once you started driving, you definitely need to decrease your speed. When driving in snow the most important thing is to give yourself as much time and distance between you and the vehicles in front of you as possible. Also, trust your traction control system! Whenever it starts flashing, make sure to not panic but to ease off the gas just a little bit. Keep your eyes open and pointed to the direction you want to go, the car will get you back on track quickly. And whatever you do, just don’t slam the brake pedal!
Even though we should already all be doing that a lot more in general, it becomes even more important when driving in snow: minimize distractions! Choosing a song on your car play, texting your mom back on your phone or even calling your best friend to update her on your relationship drama will distract you from focusing on the road. The risk of a crash already increases by a lot just by the road being covered in snow and ice, so you have to be even more focused. Put that phone down and tell your bestie about your drama when you’re back in your comfortable and warm bed.
If you want to know even more about safe driving in snow, you can check out the article ”Driving in Snow: Top Tips You Need” by Renee Valdes on the Kelley Blue Book website. But whatever you do, just be careful. Or stay inside – that’s definitely what I will be doing.
