In many areas of the country, wintertime brings cold weather and snow — two good reasons to polish off your best driving skills.
I may live on the sunny shores of Southern California, but I grew up in Western New York, about 20 minutes from Niagara Falls. Every year, after I turned 16, I would brave the plowed and unplowed roads of my town and somehow survive the drives with little or no bumps. I learned to pump the brakes of my brother’s 1980-something Cavalier hatchback early on, and if I lost control, to try to aim for the nearest snow bank (which at times could measure up to five feet).
I remember certain mornings when the entire landscape was covered with a sheet of ice, including the trees, which would break apart and land in roadways that were already deadly enough. On one particular morning, a few friends of mine — a brother and sister — were making their way to school in these adverse conditions. I remember thinking that morning, “Why aren’t they canceling classes?” — a thought that would echo a short time later when I learned they had been involved in an accident. Wesley, the younger of the two, died, and Melissa was left permanently disabled.
This is just one example of what an icy roadway and lack of precautions can combine to create. No blame was ever put on any one part of the crash: the road conditions, the other driver, a young driver’s inexperience. But, it certainly opened my eyes to the very real dangers that exist. It also made me think more about what a driver instructor once told me on the subject of winter driving: It may take longer to get there, but at least you’ll show up alive.
