It’s no secret that the winter weather and road conditions bring out the worst in drivers. They’re either going too slow or too fast. And there’s the countless people that you see stuck in the middle of the road. The safest place to be when it snows is home, unless it’s absolutely necessary for you to go out.

One student, Joshua D’Archangelo, drives a rear wheel drive vehicle and believes it’s quite dangerous, saying,

“With my car not being all – wheel drive, the snow is especially dangerous for me; I have to take it extra slow and be sure to not hit any ice patches because any mistake could be fatal.”

Having an all wheel drive car in Connecticut is essential to staying safe on the roads. We might not get a lot of snow, but there’s always a lot of ice on the streets.

When driving in the snow you need to take extreme caution; there’s always people who are sliding on the slick roads, even with all wheel drive cars. Driving is especially dangerous if it’s snowing and visibility is low. People get stuck in the snow and often can’t move over and are in the middle of the road. One factor that contributes to the sixteen percent increase in accidents is when there is bad weather. If you’re driving in the snow and see a car stuck in the road, slowdown, make sure it’s clear and then slowly pass them, make sure to leave enough room between you and the stuck car.

Then, there are the reckless people that speed on the snowy roads. These people are by far the worst winter time drivers. Not only do they endanger themselves, but they endanger other drivers as well. At the speeds they drive, hitting an ice patch can mean a crash or worse. Not to mention they can hit other vehicles while sliding and cause more harm. Speeding in the winter conditions also makes it harder to take turns and corners meaning winding roads can be especially dangerous.

On the other side of speeding you have the slow drivers. While these people are the safest in these conditions they can impede travel times and create traffic. People who drive slowly in the snow are often the people who get stuck in it. But, driving slower allows the driver more time to react to a situation. It also allows them more room to stop since stopping quickly is very difficult in the snow. Driving slowly in the snow is safer than speeding, but can also still be dangerous for the diver and other people.

Either way, it’s best that you stay home, especially teen drivers since they are less experienced. If you are a teen and need to go out, ask a parent if they will bring you. If it’s necessary to go out, try and wait until it starts snowing less, or until the roads get plowed. Waiting for the roads to be plowed will lower your chances of getting into an accident or sliding off the roads.