Rain, sleet and snow can impede travels
Holiday treks home may be made safer with tips, preparation
By Eric Vann
Special to the Kansan
Students are urged to use common sense and to watch changing weather conditions when driving home for winter break.
And to the Kansas Highway Patrol, that means slow down.
"I urge drivers to be alert at all times, especially on bridges, which ice over before the regular roadway, when temperatures are near freezing," said Maj. Dennis Tangeman of the highway patrol in Wichita.
Trooper John Eichkorn of the highway patrol in Topeka urged drivers to listen to weather reports and to get off the road before a winter storm strikes.
If travel is necessary in threatening winter weather, drivers should make sure that vehicles are in good mechanical condition, equipped with proper tires for winter driving and have a full tank of fuel, Eichkorn said.
Karen Haas, an employee at Wescoe Terrace, said she took some safety steps when she traveled during the winter months.
"I watch the inflation of my tires and make sure that they are suitable for the conditions," she said.
The highway patrol suggested that drivers tune their radios to local commercial stations for updated weather and road condition reports. When traveling the interstate system in Kansas, drivers also can get weather and road reports from weather radio receivers in many interstate areas.
Matt Comeau, Plainville graduate student said that he carried a cellular telephone in case he got stranded.
Eichkorn said that stranded motorists in Kansas who have cellular phones can dial *47 for road assistance. The number connects the caller to the highway patrol for free.
"If someone must leave their vehicle, it is important to place a sheet of paper with their name, address, telephone number and destination where it can be seen through the windshield or window," he said.
The highway patrol also recommended that drivers make a winter survival kits using empty three-pound coffee cans with plastic covers.
Each kit should include:
candle stubs
matches
"I try to keep a few tools in my car just in case I or someone else needs them."
Karen Haas,
Wescoe Terrace employee
a small, sharp knife
a red bandanna or cloth
pencil and paper
a safety pin
two quarters taped to the inside of the lid for telephone calls
snacks
a plastic flashlight with spare batteries.
In addition to those items, winter drivers also should carry in their cars:
booster cables
basic tools
sand or cat litter
The highway patrol suggested that drivers store as many of these items as possible in the passenger compartment should severe winter weather freeze the trunk shut.
Drivers stranded in a winter storm should take caution for personal safety.
"I try to keep a few tools in my car just in case I or someone else needs them," Haas said.
"Always work slowly to avoid overexertion," Eichkorn said. "Attempting to push a vehicle or shovel even small amounts of snow may lead to a heart attack."
a shovel and a blanket.
The highway patrol does not recommend that drivers attempt to find help by walking.
"You can quickly become disoriented in blowing and drifting snow," Tangeman said. "Your car provides the best protection from the weather, and you are more likely to be discovered by highway maintenance crews or law enforcement officers if you remain in your car.
"Carbon monoxide can build up in tightly closed vehicle, especially one sealed by blowing or drifting snow," Tangman said. "Run the motor sparingly and open only the downwind window to provide proper ventilation."
Eichkorn said that if people followed these instructions, they should be fine driving during wintery weather.
December 5,1996 The Hill
Holiday On The Hill
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