Controlling a ton of steel is difficult. Doing it when other people are too is even more difficult. It's so hard that we won't even think about letting you do it until you've been around for 16 years.

Doing it on ice and snow is one of the hardest things we can do on a daily basis.

It may seem silly to say, but the sentiment is very real — drive carefully. Three Purdue students were lost this weekend in an automobile accident caused by the poor weather conditions.

With even more snow and freezing rain to come, we would like to urge you when you drive today to slow down and be aware of others on the road. Though you may have your vehicle under control, it doesn't mean that everyone else does.

In this time in our lives we're still very young, and it's easy to think that it can't happen to you and that you're going to live forever. Well, it can and you aren't.

So today, if for no other reason than we asked you, take your time on the road — leave early, slow down, stop at stop signs and lights.

People often joke that the first snowfall causes us to forget how to drive. The grain of truth in that joke though is that we have to re-adapt to driving in unstable conditions that are not conducive to good driving.

Though we had a bit of a thaw, snow and ice are back and will continue to be back until well into the spring. Safety is still an issue. We must concede speed and aggressiveness in favor of our own safety. When a road looks dry, black ice can still be present.

Even the greatest drivers have two weaknesses — the weather and other drivers. Treat your environment, your car, and your fellow drivers with respect bordering on fear.

It's easy for fairly experienced drivers to zone-out or have tunnel vision when they drive

Even if you'll be late, the weather is bad and road conditions will not be the best. There are worse places to be than late, like the hospital. n Editorial Board: Keith Thomas, Tom McHenry, Melissa Davis and Laura Pelner.