Casper Police Department Offers Safety Tips for Winter Driving

Well, the weather outside is frightful and while the fire is so delightful, many of us don't have the luxury of staying inside on days like today.

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It's snowing outside, with no signs of letting up, and much of Casper has to brave the winter weather to go to school, work, meetings, etc. That being said, the Casper Police Department has offered a few tips on how to drive safely in winter weather.

First of all, the CPD wrote, Casperites should set their alarm clock and wake up a little bit early. These are not the days to push the 'Sleep' button on your alarm clock (or, more likely, your phone). Give yourself 10 or 15 extra minutes so that you're not rushing while driving.

Speaking of driving, the Casper Police reminded people that they should clean off ALL of their vehicle windows. This includes, but is not limited to, the windshield, the back windshield, the driver's side window, the passenger seat window, the two back seat windows, and any other clear surface that one might look through whilst driving. It also includes the hood of your car AND the top of your car. This is where those 10 or 15 extra minutes come in. Use those minutes to completely clean off (and defrost!) your car before taking it on the road.

The CPD also reminded people not to leave their vehicles running. Yes, you want your car to stay warm while you run into the convenience store to buy the Red Bull that you so desperately need, but what happens if you come back to your vehicle and it's, like, not there? It can happen. It has happened. Turn your car off when you exit. Lock it. Don't give thieves the opportunity to steal your car, just because you wanted it to be a little warmer. You'll be a lot colder standing outside in a parking lot without a car.

Casper Police also advise people to leave home early, and to DRIVE SLOW going to/from work or school. Once again, this is where giving yourself a little bit of extra time can be very useful. Those 10 or 15 minutes may not seem like much (or, they may feel like the worst thing that's ever happened to you if you hate waking up in the morning) but they could, quite literally, save a life. Or at least, a raise in your insurance.

Additionally, they wrote that drivers should NOT follow other vehicles too closely. This won't be a problem if you're not in a rush to get to wherever you need to go. Things can happen on a dime, and if somebody in front of you needs to stop quickly, YOU need to be able to stop quickly. The last thing you want on a cold, winter day is to have to stand outside while some lady yells at you for read-ending her.

Most importantly, the CPD wrote, WEAR YOUR SEATBELT. If, hypothetically, you were to rear-end somebody, or get hit yourself, your seatbelt could save your life. The roads are icy. The path isn't clear. The drive could be dangerous. So it's important to wear your seatbelt in case anything were to happen.

Finally, the Casper Police Department wrote that you should not drive in the windrows (we didn't know what they were either). The windrows, the CPD wrote, are the piles of snow in the middle of the roads that the snow plows make. No, we didn't think they'd need to tell people that, either but you'd be surprised, Obviously, you run the risk of getting stuck in these snow piles, so use caution and common sense and you should be safe and sound until you're back home, sitting by the fireplace with a cup of hot cocoa and a book.

For more tips, check out the photos below to find out which intersections in Casper to avoid during the winter season: