As the sequel to 2013/2014's polar vortex will seemingly be hitting us Midwesterners after a winter with virtually no snow, many of us forgot (or perhaps never learned) how to drive on snowy, icy roads. Here are 6 things to remember while driving in a winter "wonderland."
1. Drive Slow
The golden rule in driving in a blanket of snow or on a sheet of ice, drive slow. The speed limit does not apply here -- I have never found myself driving above 20 miles per hour and even then, that's a little fast. Take your time.
2. Acknowledge The Increase in Travel Time
Speaking of time, keep in mind that your normal 15 minute drive to school or work may take twice as long, depending on how bad the roads are. Take into account the size of your car, other drivers, and how heavy the snowfall is. Leave earlier and, above all else, put your own safety first.
3. Increase and Decrease Your Speed Slowly
Not that you'll be needing to increase your speed significantly, considering you'll be going less than 20 miles per hour. However, in the event that you do need to speed up a little, do so slowly. When hitting the breaks, don't do it like you would on summer pavement. Pump your breaks so you decelerate gradually, sudden changes in speed are a no-go.
4. Don't stop if you can avoid doing so
If you can get away with not stopping (careful timing, calculus and physics stuff that you might not have been super great at in high school), do so. But if you're coming up to that yellow and it turns red and it doesn't look like it's going to go green anytime soon, pump your breaks (as stated in #3) and do your best to stop in time. This gives my mom the most anxiety (I love you, Mom).
5. Pay no mind to the people getting angry with you
So if you're the owner of a tiny car (or anything that's not a truck or SUV), like me, you're probably going to be moving at a snail's pace and generally pissing off everyone around you. You'll probably get dirty looks, middle fingers, and car horns -- this is normal. If this angry human being wants to go ten above the speed limit in his 2015 F-150, that's on him. I like my life, and I'm sure you do, too. Be safe, and don't let grumpy drivers try to make you drive in a way that doesn't make you comfortable.
(Literally what these people look like when they swerve around you.)
6. Stay home :)
If you don't have to be out during a snowstorm (i.e. universities that don't cancel even if the apocalypse is happening and work commitments), stay home. It is a million and one times better to curl up in your PJs and fuzzy socks next to a fire with a mug of something warm in your hand and a good book or Netflix on your lap -- preferably all in front of a fire.
