Let's talk winter safety

When the winter season comes along complete with snow and ice, everyone's safety is at risk. And if you're not willing to uproot yourself to a place where winter is almost nonexistent, and therefore a non-issue, then listen in for some safety tips!

Usually when people think winter safety, they consider traffic crashes and winter sports accidents. Instead, let's consider another everyday interaction with winter weather: walking. Simply getting from point A to point B and remaining upright can be a challenge. When I walk around in a winter wonderland, it is not a matter of if, but when I will fall.

The inevitability of falling at least once in a winter wonderland leads me to the importance of prevention. There are products on the market that are made to promote the smooth sailing through ice and snow on foot.

Shoe stabilizers can be slipped onto the bottom of yur shoes or boots to give you better traction in the snow. They are similar to cleats in their purpose and are often made of rubber for a tight fit and easy removal.

While the benefit of shoe stabilizers is more universal, my favorite winter mobility tool is the ice tip. To put it simply, it is a rubber crutch tip with the added bonus of a tiny ice pick on the bottom. How awesome is that?! The crutch tips are designed so that the metal component can be inverted for transition from outdoor to indoor use.

I anyone is interested I found a quirky list of "winter slip and fall safety tips" which provide obvious do's and don'ts as well as a play-by-play of how one might fall and what to do when one is falling. Enjoy the ride, courtesy of University of Tennessee, Iowa State University, and University of Alaska Fairbanks (very collegiate work there, guys).