University

Getting to class is not worth flipping your car

Your profs will understand, they have to drive too

Now that my car is buried under a foot of snow every morning, and my favourite radio station has dedicated itself to only playing Christmas carols, winter is definitely upon us. Unfortunately, along with all the holiday cheer that winter brings, also seems to come a flurry of car accidents. Especially on or nearby campus.

I was reminded of this last week, when someone flipped their car outside of one of the residence halls at the University of Manitoba. Thankfully no one was seriously injured, but the sight of that car toppled on its roof still baffles me a week later. Considering how pedestrians flood campus road ways, and how narrow my campus’ roads are, I find it is usually difficult to go more than 20km an hour when driving around campus.  Maybe I drive like a little old lady compared to my fellow students, but I still can’t understand how someone could be driving that recklessly that they would get into that serious of an accident on campus.

This accident was unfortunately not an isolated incident. I drive by several accidents on a weekly basis, and  have almost gotten into a few, on or nearby campus involving students who were most likely trying to get to class. These incidents seem to have doubled now that the roads are covered by a veil of fluffy white snow.

Most of us who drive to university are guilty of sometimes driving a little less carefully than we should when we’re rushing to class or to other appointments. However, if you’re driving 30 km above the speed limit and blowing through stop signs to avoid the wrath of your professor, that is utterly ridiculous.

Is it really worth potentially totaling your car or injuring yourself to get to class on time? I’ll bet you could not find a professor who would say so. Last year during a nasty blizzard, my professors were surprised to see that any of their students in attendance had made it at all. Professors have to deal with the unpredictable weather during this time of year, too, and probably aren’t going to encourage their students to drive like a mad man or woman in the name of hearing their lecture.

I’m not saying you should use the weather as a excuse to skip class, but common sense is just as necessary to prevent traffic accidents as winter tires are. If you have to slow down because the roads are bad, slow down, even if it means you are late. Getting to class is not worth getting into an accident.

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