Editorial
Students need to take extra precautions in cold, winter months
December 5, 2013
Winter is not coming, winter is here.
This is just the first week of another long season of fighting the Wisconsin weather that we have all come to know. The right amount of awareness, preparation, and planning will help to make sure we all get through it safe.
As some of you may have noticed, there are new crosswalk lights on Cascade Avenue. With the mass amount of students that cross between classes and all the traffic that drives on Cascade Avenue safety issues can become a big concern. These lights are automatic and were added to provide safety while students cross the road to and from campus.
What students need to realize, however, is that this does not mean they can carelessly cross the street without looking, something we all learned at five years old but tend to forget.
Another concern with students crossing the road to and from campus is that many of them do not even use the crosswalks. To many students jaywalk which can put drivers in a bad situation and cause close calls. It only takes one misjudgment to cause an accident and catastrophe that none of us want to think about.
Drivers should still be aware of the fact that some students do not use the crosswalks, and cross wherever they want so to keep driving cautious. There is no need to speed down Cascade. With all the people it is just to dangerous.
This time of year it is especially important to be aware of safety issues on the road with all of the snow and ice. Taking extra time to avoid having to rush to class in these conditions is important for safety. The grounds crew works hard trying to keep the sidewalks clear and putting in rigourous hours to do so, but sometimes it is impossible to stay on top of mother nature and the sidewalks are ice covered and dangerous.
Commuter students need to take into account leaving early to make it to campus as well this time of year with the road conditions. Another thing we want to advise to students is to carry emergency kits in vehicles. It is always better to be prepared.
In these emergency kits it would be wise to always have a shovel as parking can become a problem in wintery conditions as well. If the parking lots are not cleared of snow it makes it difficult for students to park or leave their parking spot. Similar to the sidewalks though it can be difficult to keep the parking lots cleared as fast as the snow is coming so having a shovel will come in handy to get out of snowed in parking spots.
While it is a pain it is important to be cautious and smart during the winter months. Just taking a few extra minutes, watching when you cross the road, and having the right gear can make all the difference in having a safe winter.