Driving in the Snow

Hello! So today my town got almost a foot of snow over night. This would be a fun wonderful time for everyone, but it was already a no school day. The only people that would be going out today would be people who really need to. It was nice to stay inside all day but really, would it be worth it to get on the road? My brother was driving only about a mile to pick up his girlfriend and they slid off the road. Just in a few hours, my town has had over 160 crashes. Making me think: what should you consider when you decide whether or not to go out on the road?

1. URGENCY: How urgently do you  need to get where you are going? If it is just running errands or going to spend some time with someone, is it really worth it? Going out in the snow with a vehicle can be life-risking. Save yourself and save your loved ones!
2. TEMPERATURE: Quite an obvious one. However, there are circumstances where it will snow and then the temperature rises to over freezing. In that case, the snow will melt much easier. This will lead to just slushy roads, much less dangerous than icy ones. So if the temperature is freezing or below, think about staying in!
3. WINTER WARNINGS: Have there been any recent weather warnings for winter weather in your area? Sometimes there are just small bursts of snow, making it still mostly safe to drive, so there is no winter warning. If there is one however, pay close attention to it, especially the times of the warning. Also, they may mention things like "stay off the roads". 
4. CAR: What type of car do you have? Is it made to drive during the winter months? For example, four wheel cars typically handle better in icy conditions than two wheel. 

If the situation is urgent and it is very dangerous to be on the roads, put chains on your tires.You will not regret it when it saves your life!