On Tuesday, many BV West students got excited when they woke up and saw snow on the ground. However, many did not think about what was under that snow on the roads: ice. This unknown factor led many students to drive as they usually do, clogging up the 159th Street and Switzer Road intersection and others. Then, they suddenly found their cars sliding and swerving when they turned or braked.
The skinny roads that face BV West students trying to get to school made things worse. The one-lane roads meant that it was inevitable that if someone braked and the ice made their car slide forward, only three things could happen. The car could miraculously stop in time, without any car getting harmed. In an attempt to avoid to the other car at all costs, the driver could manage to maneuver the vehicle into the ditch area on the side of the road. The last thing that could happen is a car accident, an event all student drivers fear.
The accident generally consists of tail-ending the other car, so the damage depends on the cars involved and the speed the car had been sliding. For example, a typical student car, the sedan, could slide into another sedan without major damage. However, when the sedan tail-ends a SUV, pick-up truck, or some other large vehicle, the speed can mean the difference between a scratch and an accordion-shaped front end or even death.
Luckily, no accidents have reported major injuries for the drivers. The cars that were in these accidents, on the other hand, come in a variety of dents, broken lights, and folded hoods. Many roads and intersections cleared by the afternoon showed the aftermath of the day’s accidents, such as with downed signs and shattered glass.
Some students involved in these accidents believe that these crashes should not have occurred and the ice was dangerous enough that the district should have closed school to prevent student accidents.