Being a person who has had two car-related issues this winter already, nothing makes me angrier than driving in the snow. It’s not that I’m bad at it, of course; it’s just that I have to constantly be on the lookout for incompetent drivers who — despite having lived in Iowa their whole lives — still don’t know how to drive on an icy road. To help put myself and perhaps some other people at ease, I’m going to share with you how you can improve yourself on the highway to hail.
One of the things that ticks me off is hearing people complain about how they had to scrape their window off in the morning. Sure, it may seem petty and ridiculous, but hear me out: you can either park your car in the garage at night, or save yourself time by actually warming up your car 10 minutes before you leave and letting the car do the work for you; on top of this you’ll be able to drive to school in a toasty car! It’s a win-win situation! Although, be wary. This past week I tried this little hack, and while it worked for thawing out my windows, it backfired on me when I directed the heat at myself instead. Since the snow blew at my car at just the right angle, my vents greeted me with another blizzard that I thought I had escaped. Apparently this is a rare occurrence, but heed my warning if you don’t want your morning ruined with a car full of snow.
Another thing that really gets under my skin is the fact that people who already shouldn’t be driving on the road in the first place think that it is perfectly acceptable to take their trash driving to the dangerous roads. My firsthand experience with this incompetence comes from the lovely couple who thought that the most effective way to get their vehicle to stop was to slam on the breaks on an icy road. Of course if they weren’t completely stupid they’d know that you’re supposed to pump your brakes, not slam on them. Their third-rate driving skills left the back of my car completely smashed and me devastated. These deficient people even tried to commit a hit and run, but to my luck they just got stuck in the snow – once again due to their incompetence.
Yet overall, what really matters is your safety. As much as people make me mad, it is mostly because they don’t seem to have any concern for the well being of themselves and others. If everyone took a moment to make themselves a better driver then the roads would be so much safer. Here’s how you can achieve this:
Remember to drive below the posted speed limit! I promise you no matter how late you are for something, whoever is expecting you would rather not get a call for the hospital.
Make sure to keep proper control of your car and be wary at all times. This means that you don’t use cruise control and you don’t freak out if you start sliding. Your car will correct itself and you will just make it worse if you start yanking the steering wheel back and forth.
DO NOT slam on your brakes if you need to come to a stop. Your wheels will lock and you will slide across the ice. If you need to slow down or come to a stop, plan ahead and pump your brakes. This means you lightly tap on them repeatedly so that you slow down or come to a stop.
Overall, if you can avoid it, try not to drive in the snow. But if you have to try and stay warm and safe. If the car crash doesn’t kill you, your parents will if you wreck your car — and I don’t think anyone wants that.
