Winter Weather Advisory

We are currently experiencing a winter weather advisory. It keeps getting modified, so I'm not sure how long it's supposed to last anymore (originally it was until Tuesday night or something). Anyway, what that basically means is that it's snowing and will continue for the foreseeable future. I have to admit that winter weather advisories make me snicker a bit. When weather services feel the need to warn me about something, I expect it to be a big deal. Not a few inches of snow. A few inches of snow is not that serious. Or, at least, I don't think it is. Don't get me wrong. I like snow. I like it to snow a lot and stick around for a while. I don't think it's really necessary to advise people that when it's below freezing and it's going to precipitate it will come down as snow. In my mind, that's pretty self-evident. I mean, this is North Idaho. It gets cold here. And it snows.

However, driving around in the snow (which is probably not even a full inch deep at this point) makes me rethink my stance on the necessity of winter weather advisories. Not for me, necessarily, but for the other citizens of our fair city, who apparently forget how to drive in the snow each year when it goes away. (According to the state police as of about 5:30 this evening, they have responded to over 30 accidents and slide-offs and the snow started around 1:00pm. That's 6 or 7 accidents an hour.) I'm not sure how that works, really. Do they not realize that it will snow once again after we've gotten through the non-snowing seasons? We live in a northern climate. This is not California or Arizona or Texas or some other place that never really gets snow. We get snow. I'll say that once more. This is North Idaho. It snows here. Some winters, like last winter, we don't get a lot of snow, but it still can be icy on the roads. Other winters, like the one the year before, it dumps loads of snow. There's no telling how much we'll really get from one year to the next. They (whoever "they" are) are saying this will be a wet, snowy winter. So, here are my tips for safe driving in the snow and ice:

Things to do:

1. Get tires with traction. Studs are not really necessary and only tear up the roads when the roads are not covered in snow. Tires with good tread that are siped are just as, if not more effective than studded tires. If it's icy, you're likely to slip a bit, studs or not.
   
2. Allow more time to get from one place to the next.
3. When stopping, give yourself plenty of time to slow down.
4. When starting, give yourself plenty of time to get up to speed.

Things not to do:

1. Don't slam on your brakes. This will only make you slide into things.
2. Don't cut people off. It takes more time to get up to speed on slippery roads, so you need to allow more space between cars when pulling into traffic. Cutting people off makes them slam on their brakes, which will make them slide into things, possibly you.
3. Don't drive like the roads are dry. They're not. They're covered in ice and snow. These substances are slippery.
4. Don't feel the need to go the posted speed limit. Drive a safe speed that allows you to control your vehicle. Sometimes that is the speed limit. Sometimes it's slower than the speed limit, and that's okay.

So, if you have forgotten what it means to drive in snow and ice, hopefully the above list was a nice refresher. If you have not forgotten these things, feel free to pass this on to your friends that may have forgotten.

Also, it's cold outside. Wear a coat, scarf, gloves, and hat. These things help you to not be so cold.