Ice, Ice Safety

Students stay safe in the snowy weather

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Courtesy of Michael Rieger

A snow plow clears off the streets for drivers to continue on the roads as snowy conditions continue.

by Brad Earlewine, Staff

The time of year has arrived that snow is falling and it isn’t always enough to cancel school. With two weekends of extremely icy weather already past, students are sharing rough stories of the weather.

For senior Taylor Lyles, there has already been one chilling encounter. Taylor and her grandma were heading home from the Mid Rivers Mall when they hit a patch of ice and started sliding.

“We slid into a mailbox. Both mailboxes on either side also got hit,” Lyles said. “It wasn’t really frightening, but certainly it wasn’t fun.”

Icy conditions are never fun to drive in and it is imperative to be careful. Lyles said she would most likely continue to drive how she always has.

Many students have older cars that were bought with the help of their parents. Older cars mean that students might be more relaxed behind the wheel. With the mentality that their car is cheap and they don’t have to worry about driving one of their parents’ cars, students may feel like they are less worried about what might happen.

“I like my car and all, but it’s a little too beat up to care,” Lyles said.

This may be different when driving new cars.

Senior Nate Meiser recently got his first car, a 2009 Toyota Camry, before all of the ice started. He had been borrowing his mom’s van until he got the car. He finally saved up the money to pay for half, which his mom then matched.

Never one to overthink things, Meiser said, “Honestly I drive it like any other car. If not more dangerously because it’s my own.”

Meiser has stated that his thoughts on the car mean that he will not really avoid driving during winter weather. He thinks that because he is an excellent driver and he is a calm person on the road, his parents will continue to let him drive himself.

All in all, students don’t seem to fear the wretched conditions of ice.

“I’m not that nervous. I’m basically a pro,” senior Jade Smith said.