For two years, Dave Giancola survived the residence halls, the dining halls and four semesters of classes at Syracuse University. But this fall, after he got a car and moved off campus to Ackerman Avenue, things have changed.

And the way things have been going, he’s not expecting his green 1998 Chevy Malibu will survive a winter on the Syracuse streets.

‘My car was parked for four hours in the blizzard,’ said Giancola, a junior history major. ‘After taking 20 minutes to shovel out my car, I could actually drive home to Ackerman. It took me another 20 minutes just to get home because the streets were barely plowed. The fact that I was skidding was pissing me off – and that it was hard to go straight and stop.’

Students with cars on campus who are not familiar with the Syracuse area weather quickly learned last weekend the immense irritation of cleaning off cars, shoveling them out and driving with hardly any visibility at an uncomfortably slow speed. While these tasks may be time consuming and tedious, they are crucial to driving safely in the snow. But with proper precautions, a legitimate body shop in mind, and some patience, student drivers can make it through an SU winter without massive headaches.

Before they take the wheel, students can drastically reduce their chances of getting in an accident by following some steps. After starting their car, students should only let them run for a minute or so to get some oil flowing before they begin to drive, said Steve Ziegler, owner of Quik Car Care, located on the corner of Cherry Street. Any longer is unnecessary and wastes gas.

All the snow must be cleared off the roof, hood, trunk and windows, Ziegler said. The snow on the roof of a car could break into big chunks and not only slide down the windshield and obstruct a driver’s view, but also blow into the front windows of the car behind, putting that driver at serious risk for accident. If this happens, the driver of the first car is liable for whatever happens. If that’s not enough of an incentive to pull out the broom and dust off snow, perhaps a fine is.

‘The cops this weekend were pulling people and giving them tickets,’ Ziegler said. ‘The law says you must have your car clear. The cops were like, ‘What are you thinking?’ You really need to do it, for safety.’

Some students make themselves feel more secure by stashing an extra shovel, blanket and jug of de-icing fluid in their trunks in case they become stranded somewhere. But most of these precautions aren’t really necessary – the best precaution is get a membership to AAA or some other car care service, Ziegler said.

Not only could AAA or such a service get students out of a jam, but it could also save them money. Some plow drivers may see stranded students and take advantage of their situation by giving them a lift and charging them a huge price, Ziegler said.

Eddie Downing, owner of Fast Eddie’s Auto Repair at 915 Montgomery St., recommends that students keep some road salt in their car, in case they approach an icy area. But whatever else students decide to keep in their car is up to them.

Although Syracuse plow drivers do clear the streets relatively fast, in the midst of a snowstorm like last weekend’s, no one can escape dangerous driving conditions. When driving on a snowy or slippery street, students should always drive far more slowly than they normally would. And students with Sport Utility Vehicles aren’t immune to accidents, as much as they may believe.

‘Just because you have an SUV, you can go through the stuff but that doesn’t mean you can stop any faster,’ Ziegler said. ‘Just drive slow, especially if you’re not familiar with the conditions. You have to control your car.’

If the car begins to skid, the driver should always turn into the skid, apply the brake with even pressure and let up on the gas, Ziegler said.

Snow tires are not always necessary to improve driving safety in Syracuse winters, depending on the model of the car, Ziegler said. But they can only be beneficial, as they give more grip to the road. Ziegler’s snow-tire guidelines for most cars are simple: those vehicles with front wheel drive should get snow tires for the front of their car, and those with rear wheel drive should get snow tires for the back. The tires with the greatest grip – the snow tires – should be where the greatest grip is needed to push the car along. The tires of SUVs are usually already equipped for snow, Ziegler said.

Students like Giancola, who have brand new tires on their recently purchased cars, don’t need snow tires, Ziegler said. But after a year on the road, they need to be replaced.Not all winter car mishaps occur on the road. Many students are familiar with the frustration of returning to their car only to find the locks have frozen and the keys won’t work. To prevent this, students should lubricate their locks regularly with a lubricant such as WD-40, Ziegler said. But those who catch themselves in this situation, if no de-icing fluid is available, should find a lighter, heat up their key for about 30 seconds, insert it into the lock and the ice inside should be melted, Ziegler said.

In a surprising stroke of luck, Giancola has not found his locks to be frozen.

‘Not yet,’ Giancola said, ‘but we got a long winter ahead, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it happens.’

For all the fear and paranoia about driving in the snow, surviving the winter season accident-free requires that drivers simply follow routine car maintenance. The oil should be changed regularly, the windshield wipers replaced if they are streaking or cracked and all fluids topped off often, especially windshield washer fluid.

‘That’s all it boils down to,’ Ziegler said.

If a student has no idea where to bring his or her car for an oil change, a routine check-up or to have minor problems fixed, he or she should ask a Syracuse-area friend or professor for a recommendation, said Mike Orso of Nick Orso’s Body Shop, located at 638 W. Genesee St., 6850 E. Genesee St. and 224 N. Main St. Many of his shop’s customers are professors, and many of his SU student clients hail from New Jersey, Long Island or Connecticut – and if a problem arises, he usually deals with their parents.

‘We usually deal with the insurance through them,’ Orso said.

In case of an accident, students should be careful that they don’t bring their car to a repair shop recommended by their insurance company unless they have checked out the shop and researched how legitimate it is. Otherwise, their insurance company could be working in some sort of partnership with the shop and instruct the shop to use the wrong parts and inferior service – for the cheaper cost to them.

‘There’s no way they can work for the insurance company and work for the consumer interest too,’ said Orso, who has investigated many vehicular problems and shady insurance dealings. ‘You should really find a reputable shop by recommendation. Throwing open the yellow pages and looking for the biggest ad isn’t the way to do it.’

Zeigler, whose shop specializes in quick tune-ups and oil changes, often refers clients with larger problems to other local auto body shops, depending on the problem, he said.

‘If they know that we referred you, you can definitely be sure that they’ll take good care of you,’ Zeigler said.

Meanwhile, even after the snow has stopped and the sun emerged, Giancola still has more snow issues to worry about.

‘Our landlord had our driveway plowed today,’ Giancola said. ‘All of our cars are now ridiculously snowed in.’

Published on January 24, 2005 at 12:00 pm