Drive safe this year, do us all a favor

Simply Sleight, by Kari Sleight

While the calendar may not officially indicate the beginning of winter, we in Alaska know it is now here to stay. As the days grow shorter and the roads become more slippery, I thought it a fitting time to present the following winter driving tips and observations:

1) No matter how close you get to me, it will not make the car in front of me go any faster. Tailgating is a dangerous practice and I would just as soon make it to work or safely home without the imprint of your front license plate on my bumper.

2) No matter how good you believe your driving skills to be, you still can't stop your car on a dime on ice-covered roads. Many drivers have put this to the test and all have failed. You need to increase your estimated stopping distance by slowing down well before you reach the stop sign, traffic signal or the car stopped to turn.

3) It is against the law to fail to dim your bright lights to oncoming traffic. And, being too lazy to replace the burned-out bulb on one side of your vehicle does not give you the right to drive with your brights on and diminish visibility to oncoming traffic.

4) Snow should be removed from all windows before you drive away. While it's tempting to let the wind clear the snow as you drive down the road on a bitter cold morning, sometimes the frozen stuff is too strongly adhered to the window for even the strongest Mat-Su winds. Your line of vision should be unobstructed from every view: front, rear and side.

5) It is not safe to drive 65-plus miles per hour on ice-covered roads. Generally, it's not the driving down the roadway part that causes accidents; it's stopping, changing lanes or necessary evasive actions for moose or other obstacles that suddenly appear in the road.

6) A four-wheel drive vehicle doesn't stop any more quickly on ice-covered roads than a two-wheel drive vehicle.

I, and several Frontiersman staff members, made the drive to Anchorage last Thursday for an awards banquet.

While we were fortunate to have been able to make the trip during daylight hours and non-commute times, we still saw many accidents and ditch-divers. Two vehicles were upside down in the median, one on the trip in and one on the trip back. I counted at least six more vehicles either in the median or off the side of the road and there were many more areas of disturbed snow indicating where others had already been pulled out.

I am fortunate in that I don't have a long commute to work. On most days, the drive in from the Hatcher Pass area only takes 15-20 minutes. The short duration of my daily drive doesn't, however, keep me from encountering overly aggressive or inconsiderate drivers. It does give me greater empathy for those who face much longer commuting time.

It's a tragedy when we have to report a traffic fatality in our newspaper. It's an even greater tragedy when we know it could have been prevented with a few extra precautions.

Winters in Alaska are notoriously long and dark. Slow down, keep a safe distance, maintain your vehicle and drive responsibly this winter. A few extra precautions on the roads this winter will increase your chances of experiencing the incredible beauty and recreational opportunities Mother Nature will give us, once again, in the coming spring.

Kari Sleight is the publisher of the Frontiersman newspaper.