Winter Causes Driving Struggles for Arrowhead Students

While the 2015 Christmas wasn’t a white one, just days later, on December 28th, 2015, Wisconsin finally got snowfall. Now, one week later, there is an approximate five inches of snow blanketing the ground.

For some Wisconsin residents, it’s a relief. But for others, the recent snow has caused anxiety.

“Driving in the snow gives me a lot of anxiety because I’m still a pretty new driver and because of all the times that my car has fishtailed on an icy road,” says Nicole Hospel, an Arrowhead senior. “It really freaks me out and I’m worried I’ll get in an accident.”

For new drivers, snow can be terrifying. The icy roads often can cause accidents for those who haven’t adjusted to driving in the winter.  The majority of accidents happen within twenty-five miles of home, according to esurance.com.

Arrowhead senior Taylor Radke says she had troubles driving in the winter when her car had gotten stuck in the recent snow.

“I was trying to get out of my driveway, but since my driveway wasn’t shoveled or plowed, I got stuck. My wheels kept spinning, so I just kept trying to back out, stepping on the gas. I would keep going back and forth trying to make a path over the snow so I could get out. I eventually did.”

While Radtke’s solution turned out okay, she says, “Instead of constantly slamming on the gas pedal, going back and forth, packing the snow down more, I should’ve just got out of my car and shoveled around my car and behind the wheels. It probably would’ve went faster for me.”

Hospel also says she had an incident where she was stuck in her own driveway: “I had to back around my brother’s car to get to school and accidentally went too far over right. Both of my right side tires went off the driveway and got stuck in the snow. I couldn’t get the car to move more than an inch because the tires just kept spinning on the snow and ice.”

Hospel said her first instinct was to rev the engine, thinking more power would get her out of the snow.

“But all it did was make my engine burn up,” Hospel said. “My temperature gage actually went all the way up to 260 degrees when usually it’s only 195. The tires even gave off smoke.

“Then I had to wake my mom up and she told me try to rock the car, by starting in reverse and then switching it to drive as quickly as possible,” said Hospel. “But anything we tried just made a bigger hole into the snow.”

Hospel then tried AAA, a towing business that told her they wouldn’t have been able to get to her for hours. Because “there were so many people who needed help with their car because of the snow.”

In the end, Hospel’s day was rescued by her brothers and two pieces of wood.

“My brother’s woke up and told me to give them fifteen minutes. They stuck two pieces of wood from the wood pile and stuck them behind the tires for traction, which apparently is like the oldest trick in the book,” Hospel says.

Other tricks for getting stuck out of the snow that Radtke had heard of is to pour kitty litter behind the tire or put a rug under the tire to create the same effect of traction.

“I was completely freaking out [by the situation,]” said Hospel.  “I thought I was going to have to call AAA and get towed out of the snow over something so ridiculous – my car was less than a foot into the snow!”