It's that time of year again, when I do an annual road safety post. As you are no doubt aware, snow has finally graced the roads and lawns of Michigan. It is a great thing. The world is more beautiful with snow atop it. That's only my opinion of course, but with great beauty comes an inherant danger: DRIVING!

Snow, while having a great effect on my personal morale, has a rather adverse effect to the roads. I offer this annual post of driving tips in hopes that you, the reader (both of you) will take these tips to heart and be safer this Winter.

1) SLOW DOWN! Just because the sign says 70 (or 55, or whatever) doesn't mean you should go that fast. Don't forget about the basic speed law. Don't drive faster than the road conditions allow. If you're uncertain about the status of the roads ahead, take your foot off the gas. Get comfortable with it. Don't assume you can keep going as you always have.

2) Give yourself more time to get to your destinations. Leave earlier for work. As you already are slowing down you will need more time to get from point A to point B. Giving yourself more time will allow you to keep all your appointments in a timely manner.

3) Check the news stations/websites for traffic updates. I awoke this morning to find northbound 127 shut down due to an accident. I personally didn't have to go that way today, but if I have friends or family that do I can warn them and they can seek alternate routes, saving themselves time and frustration.

4) SLOW DOWN! The road is slicker. It's not safe to barrel along as usual.

5) Don't be over-confident if you are in an SUV or have 4 wheel drive. Just because your vehicle is better equipped for this weather doesn't mean you should be any less careful. Still slow down and take caution. That accident I mentioned earlier? An SUV crashed into a salt truck. I am willing to bet that SUV was going as fast as it could....and that was too fast for safety as we all can see.

6) DON'T ANSWER YOUR CELL PHONE WHILE DRIVING! I cannot stress this point enough. Studies have proven that your driving awareness is significantly reduced when you chat on the cell phone while driving. Here's a bullet list of why you need to not answer your phone on the road:
- Your first responsibility as a driver goes to the safety of those around you. Your actions can and do affect the cars around you. You are responsible for driving safe so that they too can be safe. That's right, it's not about you. Not paying attention and chatting on your cell-phone is a selfish action with sometimes fatal consequences. Why take that chance?
- You're not that important. Trust me. Focus on the road. Focus on being safe, for yourself and for others. The phone calls can wait. A simple humbleness issue here.
- You have voicemail for a reason. Every cell phone has voicemail. Even if people don't leave them you can still see who called and call them back once you are at your destination. Trust me this stuff can wait. The phone calls will still be there.
- Enough dangerous cell-phone related junk happens on the road in the summer, how much more so in the winter? It's just a better idea to hide it and not even think about it while you're on the road.

7) SLOW DOWN! In case you haven't noticed, this one is pretty important. By slowing down you can give yourself more time to react to things around you, especially if they start to go sour. You ask any state trooper or police officer what the safest thing you can do on the road is and this will be their response every time.

(8) Turn your lights on. It's difficult to see oncoming vehicles in the snow sometimes. Just because you can see them doesn't mean they can see you.

(9) Take an extra 2 minutes and clear your entire car off. How do you expect to drive safely if you can't see out of any of your side windows?!

That is all (EDIT: Special Thanks to Jon Hatter for adding #8 and #9, both great additions to the list).Please take these suggestions to heart. You know the old saying, "Better safe than partially responsible for a fatal collision."