Drive safely!

We just got hit with 4 - 6ish inches of snow. Let me tell you, that really brings out the best in drivers.  One non-driving thing I decided today was that all fraternities and sororities in snowy places should use dues to invest in a snow blower and blow the damn sidewalks around their "houses".

But on to things I think would help make the roads safer, some of which may seem obvious to you.

1. Clean your front and rear windshields so you can see in front and behind you.
2. Clean your lights so that people can see your headlights when you are coming and your brakelights when you are stopping.
3. Get off the phone. If you must be on the phone, spin out on the highway so you are out of the way before you dial.
4. Do not tailgate people. If you are in a big truck tailgating someone and she taps on her brakes because she cannot go any faster than the big pick-up truck in front of her, instead of flashing your headlights at her, why don't you just stop riding her ass? You know, hypothetically speaking.
5. Learn to drive your car in the snow. If you remain extremely uncomfortable driving on snowy roads, avoid doing so or get a car in which you are more comfortable doing so. [Knock on wood] I have never been in a snow related accident and my car is front wheel drive with questionable tires. It is all about learning when to step on the gas, avoid the brakes, and how to turn the wheel.
6. If you are desperate to switch lanes, take your foot off the gas as you go through the pile of snow in the middle of the highway. You will surely slow down, but then you can speed back up and pass the person you were behind. Trust me, this works and you do not end up on the side of the road facing the wrong direction.
7. Do not think that if you are in a big pick-up truck with four-wheel drive and the bed weighted down that you are immune to hazardous road conditions. Two-thirds of the cars I saw off the highway yesterday were pick-up trucks. Yes, I counted.
8. Turn on your headlights. If it is still snowing, it makes you easier to see.
9. Take your time. Slow down. With a 70 mph speed limit, if you end up going 55 mph all the way home instead, look at the bright side - your gas mileage will be WAAAAYYYYY better than usual.
10. Use your blinker. This, like many other things on the list, will make the road safer even when there are not wintery conditions. I promise that if you have your blinker on, I will leave a safe distance for you to get out of the REALLY snowy lane into the mildly snowy lane in front of me instead of proving you have AWD as you plug away in the REALLY snowy lane drifting in and out of my lane, thus blocking me from driving the last 2 miles to work in a (wintery and snowy) timely fashion.