Student Drivers’ View on Winter Driving

Meteorological winter arrived on Wednesday, December 21st, and along with it came snow and icy roads. Students are now in the middle of winter driving as snowfalls finally arrived in Wisconsin.

According to safewinterroads.org, more than 116,000 Americans are injured and over 1,300 are killed in snowy, slushy, or icy pavement every winter.

“I have been driving since November 19th, 2015. I drive to school everyday. The longest time I have driven continuously is three hours. My concerns for driving in the winter include not being able to come to a stop if it is slippery or decreased visibility. I am moderately prepared for whatever happens…I have all the necessary materials in my car and I always have my phone in case of an emergency. I definitely do think that one’s chances of getting in an accident are more likely to happen in winter conditions than non-winter conditions because there are difficult conditions that require your full attention in order to be as safe as possible. The chances of getting in an accident are high enough in the winter, but they significantly increase when you are under the influence. They are not only putting themselves in danger, but also everyone on the roads,” said Maria Turco, a junior at Arrowhead.

“According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, 31% of fatal drunk-driving accidents occur on the weekend, and the highest number of drunk drivers is on the road between midnight and 3 a.m. Fatal crashes are also four times higher at night than during the day,” said backtrack.com

“I have been driving (if with a temps is included) for just over a year and a half. I got my driver’s license last November. I drive to school and back every day, which is approximately an hour in the car (I live 30 minutes away from Arrowhead). I have driven in rotation on a 10 hour road trip, though I drove for 2.5 hour shifts at a time. I have a lot of driving experience, so snow does not intimidate me. Black ice is never an exciting thing to run into, because as a driver you have little control in those conditions. I have already had two flat tires, so I am also experienced in knowing who to call, how to fix a spare tire, and the importance of having an emergency kit in my car. I have had my oil changed several times and had minor tune-ups on more than one occasion, so I am also familiar with a mechanic and the process of scheduling an appointment,” said Maia Koehnlein, a junior at Arrowhead.

“I have my temps. I have been driving for one month. I don’t drive to school. The longest I have been driving is for forty-five minutes. My concerns about winter driving is ice and harsh winter storms. I’m not fully prepared. I agree that texting and driving in winter does increase your chance of getting in an accident,” said Brooke Blaha, a sophomore at Arrowhead.