In lieu of the temperatures in the great area known as northeast Ohio reaching record lows unheard of since Jan. 1994, the Visor has decided to compile some handy tips that may be useful in the next few days:

1. SLOW DOWN. No one cares if you’re late to school, but they will care if you end up in a ditch because you were scared of being two minutes late to class. The roads are unpredictable; the turtle wins the race in this one! (Be cautious especially in Akron, remember Mayor Horrigan recently issued a formal apology because the roads were so bad!)

2. DON’T POWER UP HILLS (ESPECIALLY HOBAN’S). This is especially important for Hoban students, as our castle stands tall on a sometimes very slick hill. The key to hills in winter is to gain inertia before the incline, and let it carry you to the top. And please, don’t ever stop on the hill, because there’s nothing worse than sliding into the car behind you!

3. IF YOU’RE STUCK, STAY IN YOUR CAR. There’s nothing worse than getting stuck in the snow, unless you compound the issue by putting yourself in additional danger. Not even a Hoban 4x state champ football player can do that, especially when temps plunge into the negatives! Put the hazards on, call your parents, friends, or authorities. Don’t try fixing it yourself, and always be cautious of strangers who stop to help, especially if you’re stuck on back roads in some part of Akron trying to shortcut it to school!

4. KEEP YOUR GAS TANK AT LEAST HALF FULL. With all the snow we’ve had, if any condensation of water vapor freezes in your tank, you are at risk of your gas becoming an issue! It helps to keep your tank at least ½ full, and it increases the life of  the fuel pump. Honestly, we are all busy going from place to place, but just stop for gas. You may have swim practice at 5 a.m. but stop on the way to Hoban if you have ⅛ tank. Don’t risk it!

5. STAY HOME. It’s pretty simple. Most drivers at Hoban are new drivers who can barely follow the signs in  the parking lot on a good day. Let’s not risk it for both our sakes. Stay home, makes plans with Netflix, your bed, and a bowl of popcorn. It’s much safer and more enjoyable. You have years to learn how to drive in the snow; let’s wait for another day. People won’t notice you missing a home basketball game because of the roads.