I don't mean to be gloomy and scary, but there's something that - maybe - some people might want to do if they're out driving in weather that's dangerously cold. As I've often said to my kids, we don't need to be "afraid of everything"; particularly if we take a few precautions that can prevent some things from happening.

So, just a thought while a lot of the country is getting through this horrendously cold weather....

Although a lot of people don't like to leave their cell phone GPS/tracking on most of the time; right now, while it's particularly and dangerously cold, it may worth turning it on at least while the weather is so cold that a person could easily freeze to death - especially for anyone who drives anywhere where his car could slide off the road and be obscured from view.

I know this is only one example, but it's one that has stuck in my mind ever since it happened. A few years ago a woman in the Boston area was simply driving to (or from) work (I forget) on the usual, main, highway. Her car slid off the road (and not all that far off the road either), but it was hidden behind some trees and anything else that was there (maybe snow banks). She was reported as missing when she didn't arrive home after work. Several days later she was found (and not alive).

So anyway, a lot of us may not like to leave that GPS on our phones, but it may be worth making sure it's on at least while there's extreme cold and/or slippery roads.

Photo: ME Whelan