2008 Woodie Awards
From the stacks
Michael Byrnes
Issue date: 3/31/06 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
A couple of safety tips this time around. I don't know if we'll be receiving any more snow this semester but if we do I'd like to remind you of a couple basic Winter Driving 101 tips.
First, clear ALL the snow off your vehicle, not just the windshield, rear and side windows but sweep off the hood, trunk deck (or bed cover on pickups), headlights and tail lights. Clearing the hood of your vehicle will save any unwanted snow blowing onto your windshield, causing momentary blindness which triggers a moment of panic and panicking is the last thing you want to be doing when you're behind the wheel in winter conditions. And by keeping your roof and trunk areas clear, you won't have any snow flying off your vehicle blinding the people behind you. Not only is this a good safety tip, it is sound legal advice; people have been sued over not having snow properly removed from their vehicles. Also, turn on your headlights! Make it easier for people making right-hand turns onto busy streets or people changing lanes to see you. You also want the cars behind you able to see you.
I am going to pass along an excellent tip given to me by a coworker involving cell phones: in your Phone Book, make sure you have an I.C.E. listed. What is an I.C.E.? It is the person you want contacted In Case of Emergency. Have your roommate, parents, girlfriend/boyfriend, wife/husband, whoever your closest to (yes, sometimes this means in a geographical sense) listed. It would be nice if paramedics could ask someone if you are allergic to any medications before pumping 20 cc's of penicillin into your system, stat!
The last safety tip isn't life threatening but it is the most likely to happen to you: you lose your jump-drive. Probably in the library. All your work from this semester plus your resume was on it. Hopefully you have either your name or email on the stick somewhere. Some people write it on a strip of masking tape and stick it onto it while others have their contact info etched or engraved onto it.
I'll try to keep the public service announcements to a minimum in the future.
First, clear ALL the snow off your vehicle, not just the windshield, rear and side windows but sweep off the hood, trunk deck (or bed cover on pickups), headlights and tail lights. Clearing the hood of your vehicle will save any unwanted snow blowing onto your windshield, causing momentary blindness which triggers a moment of panic and panicking is the last thing you want to be doing when you're behind the wheel in winter conditions. And by keeping your roof and trunk areas clear, you won't have any snow flying off your vehicle blinding the people behind you. Not only is this a good safety tip, it is sound legal advice; people have been sued over not having snow properly removed from their vehicles. Also, turn on your headlights! Make it easier for people making right-hand turns onto busy streets or people changing lanes to see you. You also want the cars behind you able to see you.
I am going to pass along an excellent tip given to me by a coworker involving cell phones: in your Phone Book, make sure you have an I.C.E. listed. What is an I.C.E.? It is the person you want contacted In Case of Emergency. Have your roommate, parents, girlfriend/boyfriend, wife/husband, whoever your closest to (yes, sometimes this means in a geographical sense) listed. It would be nice if paramedics could ask someone if you are allergic to any medications before pumping 20 cc's of penicillin into your system, stat!
The last safety tip isn't life threatening but it is the most likely to happen to you: you lose your jump-drive. Probably in the library. All your work from this semester plus your resume was on it. Hopefully you have either your name or email on the stick somewhere. Some people write it on a strip of masking tape and stick it onto it while others have their contact info etched or engraved onto it.
I'll try to keep the public service announcements to a minimum in the future.