Just when you thought we were out of the clear…

Well, don’t fool yourself. You’re not in the clear in terms of snow in Kent until about May. But while you’re waiting it out, Snuggie and all, be careful.

Kent State lost a student, 21-year-old Shawn Wilkes, over the weekend. He was driving on state Route 303 when his car slid on ice, and he collided with an oncoming snow plow.

Granted, this is an extreme of what could happen as a result of Northeast Ohio’s rough winters. But it can happen, and it did happen. We send our deepest condolences to Wilkes’ family and friends — and we hope this tragic accident does not happen again.

Waking up to the stereotypical “winter wonderland” before class is always bittersweet. It looks so good but stands as a symbol of struggle. You trip, slip and stumble your way to class. You lose time (and feeling in your hands) as you spend far more time than you had budgeted to load snow off your car.

But we can make it easier for one another. Shovel your sidewalk for starters. You may drive to class, but that doesn’t mean your neighbors who must walk past your house do. Plus you are automatically putting a person at risk if they are forced to — as many were following this weekend — walk in the road because of deep snow.

And in case some of you didn’t notice, the roads weren’t in very good shape for pedestrians and motorists to be sharing them. On that note, if you are one of those driving to class, drive slowly and give pedestrians the right of way. Aside from the obvious safety driving slower in bad weather nearly ensures, you also have to remember that pedestrians are a heck of a lot colder than you in the car, and they would just like to get indoors.

Make sure to stock up on food. Parts of the country hit by the snowstorm this past weekend lost power and heat for a few hours to a couple of days. You can’t guarantee Wendy’s will be open, or even the grocery store during those days. Plus you may be stuck in your house if the snow’s real deep.

The moral of all of this is just be careful. It seems like we’ve all been through the motions before and we’re “used to it.” But that doesn’t mean you should let your guard down and ignore your own safety and the safety of others.

Stay warm, be careful.

The above editorial is the consensus opinion of the Daily Kent Stater editorial board whose members are listed to the left.