As the temperature drops and weather conditions worsen and the snow starts falling, Declan Duffy, ‘18, is extra careful while driving in the snow.

“I was just learning how to drive, and I hit a ice patch. The whole car did a 360 degree spin. Another time I crashed because the roads were so bad,” said Duffy.

With the roads becoming icy, here are some tips on how to drive safely and carefully.

If you choose to go driving in the cold air, make sure you start your car 5 to 15 minutes before you get in. This will make sure your car starts, is heated up, and ready to hit the roads.

Know your brakes. Tap on your breaks a few times to get used to the feeling and notice the ice if there is some.

Drive further away from other cars and give them more  distance than usual. This will give you some time to stop and avoid colliding into another car.

Accelerate and decelerate slowly. Apply the gas slowly to accelerate to avoid skidding and spinning out. Don’t accelerate going up or down a hill. This can cause spinning out. There’s nothing worse than being stuck on a hill on a icy day and having to push your car up the hill. Not stopping in the middle of the hill will avoid this situation.

Don’t drive like a race car driver. The roads are slippery, so again it will take a longer time to slow down or stop.

Give yourself enough time to turn, stop or pull into a destination. It will take time to get use to the roads as well.

Lastly, don’t make trips if unnecessary.

“I like to stay home in my comfy socks and watch Netflix,” says Julia Norton, ‘20. If possible, try and stay home.