Helix students drive the Havanna-Helix Highway stretch daily
Helix Oregon- Every year there is at least one Helix High School driving student who crashes on the Helix Highway between the months of December and March due to black ice and reckless driving.
There are many high school students who drive their siblings and themselves to school every morning. The speed limit on Havana–Helix Highway No. 335 is 55 mph and it's a straight road almost the entire way to Helix from Highway 11. Because of the long stretches of straight road, drivers tend to drive over the speed limit, even when the road is icy. On both sides of the highway are ditches between the road and the wheat fields.
For each of the past five years, a car accident involving students has happened on the Helix Highway. But there have also been accidents that have killed people on different roads coming into Helix, like the Vansycle Road and the Piper Road. The accident on Vansycle Road was a vehicle collision and the accident on Piper Road was a pedestrian accident. However, the majority of the crashes on surrounding roads are related to students driving on black ice on their way to and from school.
The Helix Highway is prone to black ice on the straight shot, even though there is often no snow or shadows on the road. Patches of black ice will cover parts of the road because of melting and refreezing of rain or snow. But even if the sun is shining down on the roads, the black ice might not melt, so it is hard to detect if the road is icy. Because of this, many students can not tell that there is black ice on the road and think that it is safe to pass other cars or to go their normal speed.
Makayla Makin, a Junior at GHS is one student who fell victim to black ice.“We were driving to school. My older brother peeked out because the car in front of us was going really slow because it didn't look like it was slick. He peeked out because he thought about passing but once he peeked out, we crashed into the ditch,” said Makin.
The results of Makin’s car crash resulted in her family’s car being totaled. “Our car fell on its side and spun, so we were facing the wrong way from where we were driving. It was a totaled car,” said Makin.
Another victim of black ice was Paige Coiner, a Junior at GHS, who had a similar experience. “We were heading to school when my sister hit a patch of black ice when she was trying to pass somebody. We went to the ditch on the other side of the road and we rolled,” said Coiner. The Coiners were left with some bruises, but their car was left in bad condition. “Our car was totaled. The windows were destroyed and so were the mirrors,” she said.
To help guard against black ice, county snow plows need to remove the snow as soon as possible, but until then it is up to student drivers to be careful. “Last year in January I was coming one of the turns, I was going slow enough. I literally felt myself moving, sliding and I didn't know about it until I started sliding. It's one of those things where you just gotta be careful," said Coiner.
Another way to prevent crashes is that school can be delayed to thaw out the ice or even canceled, if conditions are bad enough. “I think school should be canceled when there is snow because a crash happens every year around that time (November to January) or it should be delayed,” said Makin.
Students should be cautious during colder weather to ensure their safety. It is very important to slow down and to not slam on the brakes. Another thing to do is make sure that there is plenty of space between cars on the road. Take necessary safety precautions no matter what type of vehicle is on the road.
There are many high school students who drive their siblings and themselves to school every morning. The speed limit on Havana–Helix Highway No. 335 is 55 mph and it's a straight road almost the entire way to Helix from Highway 11. Because of the long stretches of straight road, drivers tend to drive over the speed limit, even when the road is icy. On both sides of the highway are ditches between the road and the wheat fields.
For each of the past five years, a car accident involving students has happened on the Helix Highway. But there have also been accidents that have killed people on different roads coming into Helix, like the Vansycle Road and the Piper Road. The accident on Vansycle Road was a vehicle collision and the accident on Piper Road was a pedestrian accident. However, the majority of the crashes on surrounding roads are related to students driving on black ice on their way to and from school.
The Helix Highway is prone to black ice on the straight shot, even though there is often no snow or shadows on the road. Patches of black ice will cover parts of the road because of melting and refreezing of rain or snow. But even if the sun is shining down on the roads, the black ice might not melt, so it is hard to detect if the road is icy. Because of this, many students can not tell that there is black ice on the road and think that it is safe to pass other cars or to go their normal speed.
Makayla Makin, a Junior at GHS is one student who fell victim to black ice.“We were driving to school. My older brother peeked out because the car in front of us was going really slow because it didn't look like it was slick. He peeked out because he thought about passing but once he peeked out, we crashed into the ditch,” said Makin.
The results of Makin’s car crash resulted in her family’s car being totaled. “Our car fell on its side and spun, so we were facing the wrong way from where we were driving. It was a totaled car,” said Makin.
Another victim of black ice was Paige Coiner, a Junior at GHS, who had a similar experience. “We were heading to school when my sister hit a patch of black ice when she was trying to pass somebody. We went to the ditch on the other side of the road and we rolled,” said Coiner. The Coiners were left with some bruises, but their car was left in bad condition. “Our car was totaled. The windows were destroyed and so were the mirrors,” she said.
To help guard against black ice, county snow plows need to remove the snow as soon as possible, but until then it is up to student drivers to be careful. “Last year in January I was coming one of the turns, I was going slow enough. I literally felt myself moving, sliding and I didn't know about it until I started sliding. It's one of those things where you just gotta be careful," said Coiner.
Another way to prevent crashes is that school can be delayed to thaw out the ice or even canceled, if conditions are bad enough. “I think school should be canceled when there is snow because a crash happens every year around that time (November to January) or it should be delayed,” said Makin.
Students should be cautious during colder weather to ensure their safety. It is very important to slow down and to not slam on the brakes. Another thing to do is make sure that there is plenty of space between cars on the road. Take necessary safety precautions no matter what type of vehicle is on the road.
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