Cold (503)

      As anyone in Cedar Rapids, Iowa right now can see, we are in a winter wonderland. Last week I didn't have to wear my winter coat to school, and on Saturday morning the whole state woke up with snow as far as the eye can see. With these sort of conditions, it is very important not to drive or travel due to ice on the roads. Also, as the weather grows colder, it is scary to see what can happen to our bodies.
      If it is snowing or sleeting, it is very important to you or your passengers to keep off the roads or if travel is necessary, take it extra slow and allow for delays. Don't slam on your breaks as you will slide forward or spin out and put you, your passengers, and other drivers in danger of getting hurt. You should warm your car up ten minutes before you start your commute and make sure to scrap all of the ice or snow off of the windows for more visibility. For safety purpose, you should not multitask while driving in winter weather. No eating, texting, changing music, etc. because the road needs to be your main focus. Also, keeping items in your car to stay warm in case of an emergency is necessary also. If your car breaks down in the middle of the winter with below zero temperatures, you would want to have something to keep you warm. In my car I have two blankets, a flash light, extra food and water, a car phone charger, extra coats, hats, mittens, hand warmers, and many other things that would be necessary if I needed to keep warm. I believe that everyone should have these things with them through their travels due to the possibility of hypothermia or frost bite when the body gets too cold.
      Another safety hazard to watch out for in the winter is the ice that you can slip on in a parking lot or on a side walk. Some places don't even look icy but are actually a broken bone waiting to happen. A good solution to this is to use salt or sand on the parking lot or side walk but that isn't going to cure the problem one hundred percent. It's really scary to walk during the winter due to the risk of falling on the ice, but there are specific ways to avoid problems like this one. On way could be to get shoes that have a higher friction to grip the ground to help you from falling. Higher fashions shoes like Uggs or heels are bad decisions when walking in the winter and should be avoided if you don't want to fall.
     Keeping safe in the winter is a big deal in Iowa especially when you have long winters that seem to never want to go away. Winter can be nice and fun but it can also be very dangerous so when going out during the winter, make sure to stay safe.