Phones buzzed, students gossiped, rumors were bouncing off the walls of the school and all over town.

It was the talk of the town.

Did you hear about that girl who wrapped around a tree? 

The roads were icy, and she made a turn too fast. That was how Reagan Kelley ‘23 wrecked her BMW two years ago. Fortunately, she was unharmed, nothing more than whiplash, since she was in the driver’s seat; however, anyone in the passenger’s seat would have been worse off. 

“I felt scared to have to deal with the consequences of having a tree inside my car. I felt embarrassed,” Kelley said. “I also felt very lucky that I wasn’t more injured.”

To prevent this from happening to you, here are some safety tips for driving on ice or in a snowstorm. 

1. Do not brake or accelerate too fast.

According to Pringle & Herigstad, P.C., braking and accelerating can cause the driver to lose control of the vehicle and spin out. 

“I wish I had taken a little more time that morning to be careful on the ice,” Kelley said.

2. When roads are icy, don’t go over the speed limit, go under.

There is less control on ice, and the faster a driver goes, the less control they have of their car because of a lack of friction. If something happens and the driver needs to slam on their brakes, they can spin out of control. Drivers have to stop slowly, and when their car is going too fast, their stopping distance will be too far and could cause a car accident.

“I prefer not to drive in the snow, but if I do, I kind of avoid inside roads, because they’re usually not shoveled, and I drive a lot slower than I usually do,” Kishan Vahalla ‘25 said.

3. Make sure your tires have a good grip on them, or get snow tires. 

Bald tires and tires not suited for winter weather don’t have the friction needed for driving in ice or snow. According to Allstate, having snow tires provide better friction when accelerating or braking.

“[Nothing bad has ever happened] to me, but my friends [get into] a lot of accidents. I have snow tires, so I’m fine, but most of my friends don’t,” Vahalla said.

4. Give more room between your car and the car in front of you. 

Keep a greater distance between you and the car ahead of you. If the car in front of you spins out, you need to have enough distance to brake safely. 

5. Have a backup kit in your car

Keeping jumper cables, gloves, an ice scraper or a blanket are helpful if your car breaks down or you get stuck.

“Yeah I [have a backup kit]. I have a backup tire and a scraper. That’s about it though, because I drive an SUV,” Vahalla said.