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The snowfall this past Sunday wasn’t just a treat to get people in the mood for Christmas, though likely most students saw it that way; after all, they did get out of school on Monday. More importantly, the weather was the alert that winter is on its way, beginning on Friday, Dec. 21, to be exact. Think back to the winter we experienced this past year, starting in the first week of January. Snow, ice, temperatures in the teens or even below. Brrrrrr! You get the idea.

We’ve no doubt that the Public Works departments for both Franklin and Southampton County are preparing for the season, if not already on standby. You can help make that cleanup both a safer and faster chore for them and yourself with these suggestions:

• Avoid travel unless absolutely necessary.
• If you must drive, first remove all snow from your vehicle.
• Drive with extra caution.
• Make sure your car or truck is ready for winter, in safe driving condition, and includes an emergency kit with jumper cables, blankets, first aid kit, water, non-perishable food, cat litter or sand, shovel, flash light and batteries, ice scraper and cellphone charger.
• Leave plenty of room between you and other vehicles.
• Stay back and avoid passing snow plows and spreaders.
• Don’t crowd emergency vehicles.
• Avoid parking on streets when snow or ice is predicted; it makes plowing easier when there are no vehicles on the road.
• Shovel sidewalks as soon as possible, but avoid shoveling snow into the roadway.
• Clean snow around fire hydrants.

Everyone can help make this winter a safe one, no matter how much snow we get.