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International students, faculty receive winter driving tips
By KEVIN FRYLING
Reporter Contributor
Hanudatta Atreya wants to drive safely this winter.
A native of India and postdoctoral research assistant in the Department of Chemistry, Atreya has traveled frequently to Syracuse from Buffalo, but hasn't actually driven much in the winter yet, relying on other means of transportation. The stretch of the New York State Thruway between the Queen City and Syracuse is a "bad drive," he noted.
"Last winter was okay," he said. "This year I want to be sure."
With another Western New York winter on the horizon, International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) last week held its seventh winter driving workshop to teach safety tips to international students. Atreya was among more than two dozen international students and faculty members who attended. Several participants said they have never seen so much as a snowflake.
Atreya pointed out that he has seen some dangerous winter traffic on campus, as well as on major highways, as students speed in competition for parking spots at 9 a.m.
In fact, "Slow Down" was a major theme of the one-hour course, taught by Rick Mooney, assistant supervisor for drivers' programs with the American Automobile Association and a UB alumnus who's lived in Western New York nearly all his life.
Mooney has winter safety down cold. He emphasized that drivers must build more time into their schedules during the winter. Not only do cars need several minutes to warm up in the morning, but drivers have to take time to scrape and clean ice and snow off their vehicles.
"If you don't have a snowbrush and scraper, get one," Mooney advised. "It is required in this weather." He called drivers who fail to scrape their windshields thoroughly "submarine captains" because only their eyes are visible as they peek through an icy sheet. "Snow muffins" are cars piled high with snow, he joked. It is important to clean all snow from a car, not just from windows, he explained, because snowdrifts from roofs, hoods and trunks can create mini-snowstorms that blind drivers to the rear in traffic.
In addition to a snowbrush and scraper, students were told to put together a winter safety kit. Jumper cables, flares, a flashlight and a reflective triangle and vest are always a smart idea, he said, but winter requires a bag of sand or kitty litter, extra windshield solvent, a small shovel, a blanket and snack bars and juice boxes as well. Cell phones are great in emergencies, he said, but don't dial and drive. Mooney also suggested packing warm clothes, including boots and a hat, scarf and gloves, which he donned as he spoke.
Mooney noted that a shovel can come in very handy on those days when Mother Nature drops two feet of snow between the time a car is parked in the morning and students leave campus at night. Eight or nine hours are all it takes, he said. "When I was a student here it happened on several occasions," he said.
Not only do drivers need more time in the morning to get ready, but winter driving is slower as well, Mooney cautioned. Don't be afraid to go under the speed limit, he said. He explained that roads are iciest not at the lowest temperatures, but between 25 to 35 degrees Fahrenheit. Snow melts and refreezes easily in this temperature range, especially at intersections where the heat from cars creates water that re-freezes after traffic thins.
Black ice also forms under bridges due to shade, he warned. Most importantly, ice is most likely to form on the surface of bridges as the absence of warm ground under the roadway results in low surface temperatures.
Ellen Dussourd, director of international student and scholar services, emphasized the danger of icy bridges as well. She said she organized winter driving classes at UB after arriving on campus from Indiana State University in 1999 because a student driver at that college died after her car sped across an ice-covered highway overpass.
"A large percentage of UB international students have never seen snow, much less driven on snow and ice," Dussourd said. "Many of them are also learning to drive for the first time."
"Spins are a fundamental reason that driving slowly is highly recommended," Mooney said. "Any rapid change could result in a loss of control." Keeping about four to five seconds worth of space between cars on the road is also important, he noted.
Mooney instructed participants on how to recover a vehicle that has lost control on ice. Drivers should ease off the accelerator, don't touch the brakes and look and turn the car into the direction they want to go. "Avoid the temptation to use the brakes," he said. Steering is preferred in icy conditions over 25 mph because it takes less distance to steer around an object than to stop, as braking leads to further skids. The situation is correctable, he said. "Don't panic."
Other tips included the difference between regular and anti-lock brakes and advice on winter wiper blades and car batteries. Mooney suggested replacing three- to four-year-old car batteries before the cold weather arrives. "The last thing you want to deal with in the morning if you have an exam is a dead battery," he said.
Wei Seang Ooi, an undergraduate chemical and biological engineering major from Malaysia, said he found the class very useful. "I don't have any winter driving experience," he noted. He spent his first winter at UB last year but has not driven in snow yet. Before arriving in Buffalo, the only snow he had seen was on television, he added.