Icy roads in the Northeast Kingdom are affecting road trips by increasing accident rates and reducing driving speeds.
Consistent snowy and cold days are making the roads more and more dangerous to drive on. On Friday and Saturday nights, when students go out to have fun with loud music playing in the car, the situation becomes more serious because there is less focus on driving. For those students who do not have cars to drive and need to walk all the way downtown, their safety is also at risk.
“It would take me an extra hour to drive here,” said Ryan Clark, who sometimes drives himself from Connecticut to visit his friend in Lyndon. “The road condition could get really bad.” Leaving this Wednesday, another four and a half hour drive is awaiting him.
As for those students who often walk downtown themselves, walking along the roads has become one of the hardest things in winter. Slippery and icy pavement make it easier to fall, and make it harder for cars to change lanes to avoid pedestrians.
To be safe, it is important for drivers to control their speeds while driving and to invest in winter tires. It also requires more attention to drive especially at night when visual distance has been reduced.