Maine winters bring more than amazing scenery and days spent braving the elements to do fun outdoor activities like skiing, snowboarding, and skating; along with the fun aspects of winter, the season brings the things that everyone dreads: pre–plowed roads, slippery tar, and drivers that seem to have never driven in the snow before.

For Biddeford High School students, those wintry mixes of snow and freezing rain spell disaster, especially when the snow day that everyone was hoping for doesn’t happen. That means that students with licenses will have a long drive to BHS, trying to get to school on time while still trying to drive safely in the harsh conditions. For senior Hannah Howard, the drive to school can be especially daunting.

“I live on the other side of town and there is no way to get here [school] without hills, so I have to be really careful and leave earlier than usual,” said Howard. “I’m always nervous my brakes are going to slip in the snow on my way to school.”

Senior Sam Monsen agrees, saying that it’s “always a rush to get to school” and that the snow “makes you have to drive slower.” Fortunately, though, administration sometimes decides to hold attendance on snowy mornings, saving many from being late. But for Monsen, being late for school isn’t the only thing he has to worry about.

“I’ve gotten stuck five times in the snow since I’ve had my license, but I blame my F-150…it’s only two wheel drive,” said Monsen. “One time I was driving home from my ex–girlfriends house late at night, temps around -20º, [and] I drove into a snowbank and got stuck…someone pulled over and helped me dig [my car] out.”

Needless to say, many teenagers struggle driving in the snow. Howard blames this on both her road rage and car, but sometimes her close calls during a storm aren’t her fault at all.

“During the storm before Thanksgiving, I was driving down Elm Street after getting Aromas…and a plow truck switched in my left lane without seeing me and snipped my front passenger side,” said Howard. “It wasn’t exactly a good way to start vacation.”

Junior Brandon Dion, however, thinks his car is great in the snow, which helps the new driver a lot throughout the snowy winter.

“My car usually gets through all of the icy spots…that helps me a lot,” said Dion. “It’s going to help me through the most difficult and worst roads.”

Through all of the almost–accidents and sticky situations comes lessons that only people of the Northeast would understand.

“They [Maine drivers] experience the bad conditions every winter so that makes them better,” said Monsen. “It’s given me an experience to know all the dangerous situations and how to handle them by staying calm and not freaking out…it makes you more aware of the surroundings and makes you try to drive safer.”

Howard takes a different position, believing that “I live in Maine, so I just have to deal with it,” but that she’s also learned how her “car handles the snow and what not to do in the snow.” Regardless of what she’s learned about driving safely in the snow and ice, she cannot control other Maine drivers.

“Most drivers in Maine are too scared to drive in the snow, and some love it and think drifting and donuts are fun,” said Howard. “Most people just don’t take it seriously.”