Here are some safety tips for driving in the snow

And it was coming at me sideways.

Despite all my defensive driving skills, the front end of my car was smacked in what was my first traffic accident.

The driver was extremely apologetic as we surveyed the damage, and she told me she was from Phoenix and had never driven in the snow before.

“I had my foot on the brake the whole time, but I just kept going,” she said.

“Did you tap the brakes to recover from the skid?” I asked.

Her blank stare told me she had no idea what I was talking about.

Desert dwellers live where they do for a reason, and one of them is to stay out of the snow. But occasionally, we’ll get snow here.

And next week, locals will be hitting the roads in record numbers and might encounter the wet, white stuff when they travel.

A travel survey by AAA said 3.4 million residents of the Mountain West region will be traveling 50 miles or more for the four-day Thanksgiving holiday weekend. That’s 3.7 percent more than last year and the highest number since 2007.

Many of those motorists might encounter snow and ice, whether it be on the way to Utah, Reno, Flagstaff or even Southern California.

For those who haven’t driven in snow but might, here are some timely tips from AAA about how to do it:

■ Decrease your speed and leave yourself plenty of room to stop. You should allow at least three times more space than usual between you and the car in front of you.

■ Brake gently to avoid skidding. If your wheels start to lock up, ease off the brake.

■ Turn on your lights to increase your visibility to other motorists.

■ Keep your lights and windshield clean.

■ Use low gears to keep traction, especially on hills.

■ Don’t use cruise control or overdrive on icy roads.

■ Be especially careful on bridges, overpasses and infrequently traveled roads, which will freeze first. Even at temperatures above freezing, if the conditions are wet, you might encounter ice in shady areas or on exposed roadways such as bridges.

■ Don’t pass snowplows and sanding trucks. The drivers have limited visibility and you’re likely to find the road in front of them worse than the road behind.

BAG FEES AHEAD

Southwest Airlines now stands as the only major airline that won’t have an extra charge for bags after last week’s announcement that JetBlue is discontinuing its practice of allowing one free bag for all customers.

The New York-based airline, which has flights between Las Vegas and Boston, New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Long Beach, Calif., plans to introduce three-tier pricing by the middle of next year and one tier will require that customers pay extra for their bags.

Southwest immediately capitalized on the move with a social media blast reminding people of its “bags fly free” mantra and that not only one bag but two are allowed without charge.

HEAVY TRAFFIC

It’s a no-brainer that traffic is going to be a little heavier than normal Wednesday as people make their way out of town for Thanksgiving.

McCarran International Airport will be hopping on Wednesday and Sunday as people depart and return for the holiday.

As far as long weekends and holidays go, Thanksgiving isn’t quite as crazy at the airport as other times because of the familial nature of the holiday.

There won’t be any major conventions this week.

But there is one event that will result in higher-than-normal traffic flow.

Saturday night, look for above-average congestion on U.S. Highway 95 at Russell Road as UNLV football fans make their last pilgrimage of the season to Sam Boyd Stadium. The kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

Yes, I know. The team was 2-9 going into Saturday night’s game at Hawaii, so it’s not likely there would be a very big following for the season finale.

But this year, it’s different. The opponent is the University of Nevada, Reno, the annual Fremont Cannon game. So people are going to show up just for the rivalry.

Add to that the fact that UNR students from Las Vegas might be home for Thanksgiving and will be going to the game in greater numbers.

There’s potential for the streets to be packed around U.S. 95, Russell Road, Boulder Highway and on the backdoor route to the stadium on Tropicana Avenue (which turns into Broadbent Boulevard), even if the game turns out to be a turkey.

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