It’s that time of the year where snow starts to fall and the road conditions are hard to drive on. Driving on the snow and ice is no joke and it’s very important to know ways to stay safe while driving out in the crazy winter weather of Nebraska. Natalie Schmersal is a sophomore here at East and she has been driving for about 11 months now, and Emma Brown is a senior here at East who has been driving for two years now. They have both had experience driving in the harsh winter conditions.
They both have some good advice when it comes to driving in the winter. “Go out and start your car about 10-15 minutes before you are going to leave to give it a chance to warm up,” Schmersal says. “Also keep something warm to sit on, I always keep something cloth in my car to sit on.”
Both girls say to get an ice scraper because they come in handy when ice and snow sticks to your windows. “You can also get a winter screen for your car so when you park outside you don’t get snow on your windshield,” Brown says.
During the winter the roads can be so slippery and dangerous, you can run into things like black ice. It can be so slippery you can’t stop your car. “Give other people space especially when it’s icy outside so you have room if you do slide on the ice,” Schmersal says. “If you do slide don’t panic.”
When it’s icy and snowy outside the roads will be very slick so make sure to drive slow. “Turning is going to be more difficult, I think,” Brown says.
So when you go out driving this winter be careful, give yourself plenty of space in between cars, and stay calm.