Snow isn't all it's cracked up to be

White. Fluffy. Beautiful. These are all adjectives people generally use to describe the frozen precipitation that falls to the ground during the winter. If you don’t know what I am talking about by now, it’s snow people! I have three different adjectives for snow. Dangerous, cold, and beautiful. Alright two different ones and I will keep beautiful because the stuff really is pretty when it falls. That being said, its beauty does not do enough for me that it trumps those other things.

We just got our first snow of the winter down here in Springfield, which is what is inspiring this entry. I start with dangerous because above all else, that is what I think about when snow is on the ground. This is especially true when the snow is being sneaky and covering up ice. Here is my take. Someone needs to invent a driving course that simulates driving in the snow. Every single person that gets in a significant accident (that is their fault of course) should be required to complete said driving course to earn the right to get back on the road. I do not say this out of anger or frustration, I say it for the safety of everyone on the road. There is simply too many people in this world that have no idea the effects that snow has on their ability to control their vehicle. Since my idea does not exist yet, here are some safety tips for those of you that are going to be driving in the snow this winter…

1.   As you approach areas where you will be or could be required to stop, pull up on the gas about 100 feet sooner than you would if there was no snow on the ground. You really want to rely on the car declerating by itself as opposed to having to brake because braking will cause your car to slide. These places would be yield signs (yes, yield signs are essentially stop signs if there is another car coming), stop signs, and yellow lights are the big ones.
2. When waiting for a light to change to green at a traffic signal, give yourself an extra second or two before starting to move. There will be people that do not abide by rule number 1 and will inevitably have to slide through the intersection after the light has already turned red. Be frustrated all you want, but I promise letting that person slide through the red is better than flooring it the instant the light turns green and getting t-boned.
3. Be extra careful turning into the flow of traffic. This is true for either a right or left hand turn, but especially true for left hand turns where you will be crossing a lot of traffic. The ice/snow will sometimes cause your tires to spin out for a second before they gain adequate traction to get your car moving. That extra second or two could be the difference between you safely making your turn and your car getting crushed.
4. If you drive a light vehicle or a vehicle that has rear-wheel drive, put something heavy in the trunk of your car to prevent it from fish tailing. Fish tailing is when the back of your car slides back and forth. The best thing to put there are sand bags, but I know some people will use golf clubs or something else that weighs a lot so they don’t have to buy sand bags. If you don’t know if your vehicle has rear-wheel drive, call your parents. Hopefully they will know.
5. Here is tip number 5 and it will probably be the most heavily disputed. Doughnuts are fun, but please, please be very careful. I struggle to believe the minutes of excitement are worth the potential danger of wrapping your car around a light pole. However, if you insist on doing doughnuts please find a place where there is the least amount of potential danger aka no cars around, no light poles, no buildings, etc.

For me, snow just never seems to be worth it, and this is coming off back-to-back days off of work because Springfield Public Schools closed school due to the snow. In the moment, woo hoo. Out of the moment, boo hoo. Now, those two days will be tacked onto the end of the school year. The other things that I am not a big fan of when it comes to snow: my feet are always wet, I have to do some sort of clearing of my windshields every time I go to drive everywhere, I have to drive slower because I abide by the 5 rules above, and eventually the beautiful white snow turns brown and disgusting. I respect those that love the snow. I understand it, it just isn’t for me. This entry is much more about how to drive in the snow for those of you that don’t know how (admit it some of you are horrible snow drivers) or those that are afraid of doing it.