There is a time and place for speed, finding the apex of a corner, and practicing your “drifting”. On the road and in traffic is not that place. Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.

It’s easy to do. You’re driving around, there’s a little bit of snow on the ground, and you just want to kick the rear end out a little bit. It’s fun! The problem is that its a public road with other cars, curbs, mailboxes, trees… you name it. You’re also not a professional driver. Sure, you’ve done it before, but that doesn’t mean that something can’t go wrong.

Now, we all do it sometimes, I’m even guilty of it, but at the very least, you can minimize the risk by not doing it around other people or with others in your car.

And think about your family before you try “something cool” to impress your friends.

Stay off your phone. Don’t text. Ask a passenger to change the cd, the song, or whatever—or wait until you come to a stop.

Join a club, go to a track day, find an open field or abandoned parking lot.

Don’t be dumb. Be safe and be considerate.