Pop quizzes and looming projects are not the only things stressing out students this semester.

The heavy snowfall, black ice and unplowed roadways are a few of the inconveniences that many student drivers have had to deal with this winter season.

Some of these problems returned yesterday as more snow fell on the State College area.

Some students, like Allison O'Donnell (senior-hotel, restaurant and institutional management), try to stay safe on the roadways by driving less and driving slower.

"Honestly I'm afraid to drive regardless, whether it's in the middle of summer where there is no snow or if it is icy as hell," O'Donnell said.

"But I just try to stay off of [the roads] in the winter unless I have to for some reason, like a trip to Wal-Mart," she added.

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) spokeswoman Marla Fannin said she thinks the best way to be safe driving in the snow is to maintain visibility and leave enough time for car trips as traffic will move slower.

Fannin said PennDOT is hard at work with 74 winter employees working the roads and 52 snow trucks in Centre County.

"We were working as hard as possible to pre-treat the roads before they got too bad," Fannin said. "A lot of our employees were working close to 12 hour shifts to try to keep the roads as clear as possible."

The snow trucks usually take about two to three hours to complete one cycle of plowing, but with the last heavy snowfall in February, by the time they got back to where they had started a fresh coat of snow had all ready fallen, Fannin said.

Office of Physical Plant (OPP) spokesman Paul Ruskin said paying attention to the weather conditions when driving is an important move in keeping everyone on the road safe.

"Winter driving is a special skill and it is a good idea to keep the speed limit and current conditions in mind," Ruskin said.

The OPP is very diligent in doing everything it can to enhance safe driving on campus, Ruskin said.

"If driving isn't what you want to do, taking public transportation is a good alternative," Ruskin said.

Pat Hopple (sophomore-architectural engineering) said he was driving a lot slower earlier this month because of the hazardous weather conditions.

"I was driving a lot slower because the roads were really bad," Hopple said. "I don't speed so it wasn't a big deal."

Amy Paster (sophomore-architectural engineering) said she is a fast driver and she caught herself driving slower.

"When I was driving my boyfriend's car, I was actually slowing down on the roads," Paster said.

But, as long as the roads are plowed, some people will drive as fast as they normally do.

Nick Newfield (senior-labor and industrial relations) said he drives fast all the time, now more than before, because of the weather.

"Unless it is really bad out, it just means that there won't be people patrolling the roads," Newfield said.