Winter break is a little over a week away, and many students drive home for the holidays. 

Ray Sanders, an office manager at Ekart Auto in Manhattan, said it’s important to get your vehicle checked out before making the drive.

“With the weather change, probably the big thing would be to make sure the tires are properly aired,” Sanders said. “Usually, when the weather changes, it drops the tire pressure, and then sometimes you’d be driving around on flat tires and not know it. … Usually, when a student comes in for an oil change … before they go home, [we] check them over to make sure they’ll be safe.”

Paige Vulgamore, Kansas State student body president, said she likes to call people during her drive home to stay alert.

“I think just driving slow and just being aware when you’re driving is really important,” Vulgamore said. “I have about a four-hour drive when I go home from Manhattan, that’s just a long time to be in the car. I usually call my mom, I call my friends, and it just always makes me more attentive on the road. So that’s what I like to do. Personally, I think it’s a good practice.”

Vulgamore also advises students to start their car before they begin their drive.

“I grew up in Kansas, so I’m used to driving in cold weather, but something that my dad always told me was to go outside and start my car 10 to 15 minutes earlier than I was actually going to drive it,” Vulgamore said. 

Lydia Gerstner, junior in fashion business, said she likes to go to Starbucks before her trip home.

“Whenever I have caffeine, that helps me stay a little bit more alert, especially when I’m making that drive home,” Gerstner said. “I think the two main things is literally just the music that is playing, and me having caffeine in my system is a huge thing for me.”

Gerstner said students going home should follow the speed limit.

“Not speeding is a huge thing,” Gerstner said. “Just be careful and aware of your surroundings because I know that going home for breaks, that’s when car accidents happen most frequently.”