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Life

GIFs That Describe Winona Drivers in the Winter

Allie Westphal
Hailey Seipel
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Winona chapter.

I moved to Minnesota nine years ago, and every winter it never ceases to amaze me how many born-and-raised Minnesotans have no idea how to drive in the snowy weather. It seems as if the high schoolers that have just gotten their licenses can drive better than those who have been driving for over twenty years.

 

I come from a town of over 80,000 people, and have had to drive to the Twin Cities numerous times for different events, so I’d say I’m pretty skilled when it comes to driving in areas of high commuters. Moving to Winona made me realize how bad its drivers were at navigating the wintry roads. As told by GIFs, here is a list of three obstacles Winonan drivers just have not seemed to master quite yet.

 

Roundabouts

My rival high school back home had about six roundabouts in their parking lot and there were a few others sprinkled around town. A whole day was dedicated to becoming comfortable with these things in driver’s ed, so I’m actually a pro at them. It drives me bonkers when people stop at the roundabout next to Taco Bell here in Winona and wait for a car that’s across the street from Hyvee to enter it. I’ve also had to slam on my breaks because some guy decided that he didn’t feel like obeying the Yield sign. Winonans are so bad at these things that the Winona Police shared a how-to diagram on their Facebook page.

 

Snowy Roads

As I said before, I’m pretty much a pro in the winter: I know how to control my fishtails and I know how far back I need to start braking so I don’t cause an accident. However, that only gets me so far because not only do I not have winter tires, but also I only have two-wheel drive. Do you know how terrifying it is to drive in white-out weather when a yeehaw truck goes zooming past you going 50 in a 30? It also really boils my blood when the driver behind me decides to slow down at the last minute. It’s called four-wheel-drive, not four-wheel-stop.

 

Slow Drivers

We’ve all been behind a Taurus that drives 10 below the speed limit when they see just one snowflake in the air. It’s even worse on a two-lane road with no opportunities to pass. It’s different during really rainy or snowy weather, but it’s absolutely ridiculous when the only way you can tell it’s snowing is if you really squint.

 

Winter is the season to really practice safe driving. If you happen to drive a hick truck, please slow down to ensure the safety of other drivers around you. And if you don’t feel comfortable driving in any weather besides the sunny kind, consider staying home or staying off the highway.

Have a safe winter!

 

Sources

Allie is a senior at Winona State, majoring in Social Work and minoring in Child Advocacy Studies. If a professional were to ask her what her goals in life were, she'd probably tell them that she wants to work in a high school helping teens. However, her less-professional goals are to own a Tesla and to shop exclusively at Target and Ikea. In her free time, Allie can usually be found scrolling through TikTok and fighting social injustices, both of which are known to make her late to work.
Hailey Seipel

Winona '20

| 2018-20 Club President/Campus Correspondent | Hailey Seipel is a senior at Winona State University who is studying Applied & Professional Writing and Journalism. She has been passionate about writing ever since she was little, and a dream of hers is to author poetry, sci-fi and romance novels. Until then, she is interested in working as a creative/blog writer, technical editor or project coordinator after graduating. In her free time, Hailey enjoys listening to music and reading leisurely.