There are very few things on a modern-day automobile that are installed without some purpose. To our knowledge there is no mechanical appendix, so it comes with no small amount of irritation that people during the winter still refuse to use their turn indicator.

It probably goes with saying, that roads in the area and Minnesota are not in the best condition. It’s the very nature of winter to bring with it roads caked with packed snow and ice, so the idea often times of stopping on a dime is thrown out the window.

On the surface this may seem a fairly low gripe in the grand scheme of things and ordinarily not as big of a deal. We’ve all probably turned last minute or just turned without flipping on our blinker, but with winter comes a heightened demand for safer driving, inherited from the conditions associated with this frozen time of year.

Drivers need more awareness than usual and can’t just cut over a lane without giving indication. Vehicles do not just stop on frozen and iced-over roads and if it’s heavier traffic, there often times are very few options to avoid accidents.

The easiest, and really the only necessity this time of year is common sense. The first step is always looking, followed by the use of the indicator and ended with a slow and safe transition.

Remember, you are not the only driver dealing with harsh roadways and in the end everybody wants to go home safe.