CLAY NATIONAL GUARD CENTER, Marietta, Ga., Dec. 8, 2011 – As a former Alaskan, I am happy to offer winter safety tips based on my experience enduring snowy conditions for the better part of my life. While I spent nearly two decades in Alaska, I have lived in Georgia long enough to adjust my winter safety planning. 

I generally do not have to worry about succumbing to hypothermia on the way to the mailbox since I moved from Alaska, and – during my 12 years here in Georgia – I have never had to report to work late because a moose was sleeping in my driveway. I will be sure to issue a retraction if this happens in the waning days of 2011.

Situational Awareness

First and foremost in winter safety planning is an understanding of weather effects. As the ice storm of January 2011 informed us, the worst-case scenario can easily overwhelm available snow removal resources. It is imperative that each household have a plan for such ice storms and be prepared with food, water, and a backup plan for heat and electricity. 

The Georgia Emergency Management Agency maintains a website designed to assist in planning for such winter emergencies. This site provides emergency planning guidance and checklists to ensure you are prepared for inclement weather. They even provide a mobile app for your smartphone to help the planning process along.

Winter Driving

The best way to avoid the hazards of icy roads is to stay off them. Regardless of the number of hours you have spent driving in an Arctic zone, you are on the roads with folks who are late, hopped up on coffee, and who have a hard enough time staying in the lane when the pavement is dry.  

If you must drive, ensure that you can see. Your primary ice scraper should not be a credit card, and you should not drive with only a four-by-two-inch, periscope-sized scraped area on your front windshield.  Allow time for your windows to defrost and check your headlights for maximum visibility. If there is snow on the roof of your car, brush it off.  Don’t be “that guy” with the humungous roofberg that flies off your car and into the windshield of the car behind you. 

Ice

Bear in mind that the same ice that causes your car to slip will cause you to slip. Most ice storm related injuries are caused by simple falls. Keep a couple of bags of inexpensive kitty litter in the garage. The kitty litter is better than salt, as it will provide traction but the melted water will not kill your grass and rose bushes.   

Sledding

The Center for Injury Research Data notes that over 229,000 sledding injuries occurred from 1997-2007. Lest you think these were mere bumps and bruises, 26% of these accidents were fractures and 34% involved head injuries – most following collisions. 

The risk for sledding injuries is particularly great when the winter season compresses all the possible sledding days into one snow or ice event – as is often the case in Georgia. The “hey watch this” effect may lead otherwise thoughtful individuals to attempt to recreate the opening of Hawaii Five-0 on a sled in their driveway. Be responsible, be safe, plan ahead, and enjoy a wonderful winter.

Story by 1st Lt. William Carraway

Public Affairs Office

Georgia Department of Defense