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January 28, 2026<\/p>\n
2 min read<\/p>\n
Add Us On Google<\/span>Add SciAm<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n To safely navigate icy sidewalks, walk like a penguin<\/p>\n Icy weather brings a serious risk of falls. Here\u2019s how to stay safe<\/p>\n By Meghan Bartels edited by Andrea Thompson<\/span><\/p>\n Pavlo Gonchar\/SOPA Images\/LightRocket via Getty Images<\/p>\n The recent snow and ice storm turned much of the nation into a winter wonderland\u2014from the safety of a nice, cozy sofa indoors. If you step outside in such conditions, however, you\u2019ll find a dangerous obstacle course that can turn walking the dog or checking the mailbox into an emergency room visit with just one false step.<\/p>\n There\u2019s no good clearinghouse for data about injuries related to winter weather, but studies do suggest that fall rates increase with snow and ice, especially among older adults. That said, anyone can slip and tumble when sidewalks get icy. Alas, you can\u2019t always hunker down until the thaw, so what\u2019s to be done? Walk like a penguin, says Gabriela Murza, a health and wellness extension associate professor at Utah State University.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re not really waddling literally,\u201d she notes, but there\u2019s enough similarity between the movements to channel everyone\u2019s favorite Antarctic birds. \u201cWhen you walk like a penguin, you keep your feet flat the entire time, and you take shorter steps,\u201d Murza says. \u201cYou\u2019re less likely to slip and fall.\u201d Flat feet have more surface area in contact with the ground each time you take a step than our typical heel-to-toe gate, and smaller steps keep your weight more centered, she explains.<\/p>\n If you’re enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.<\/p>\n In addition to the small, flat-footed steps, Murza recommends keeping your knees slightly bent to reduce pressure on your lower back and increase stability.<\/p>\n Icy days aren\u2019t the time to multitask while walking, either, so tuck your phone away and keep your hands free. Murza also recommends bending your arms and keeping your hands out of your pockets. If you do end up slipping, that position will leave your forearms ready to catch you, protecting your more vulnerable wrists and face.<\/p>\n Overnight and early morning, when temperatures are at their lowest and the sun isn\u2019t helping to melt ice, are the most dangerous. Keep your eyes peeled for ice hiding under snow or meltwater and for transparent \u201cblack ice\u201d in general, Murza recommends.<\/p>\n If you enjoyed this article, I\u2019d like to ask for your support. Scientific American<\/span> has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve been a Scientific American<\/span> subscriber since I was 12 years old, and it helped shape the way I look at the world. SciAm <\/span>always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope it does that for you, too.<\/p>\n If you subscribe to Scientific American<\/span>, you help ensure that our coverage is centered on meaningful research and discovery; that we have the resources to report on the decisions that threaten labs across the U.S.; and that we support both budding and working scientists at a time when the value of science itself too often goes unrecognized.<\/p>\n In return, you get essential news, captivating podcasts, brilliant infographics, can’t-miss newsletters, must-watch videos, challenging games, and the science world’s best writing and reporting. You can even gift someone a subscription.<\/p>\n There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and show why science matters. I hope you\u2019ll support us in that mission.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" January 28, 2026 2 min read Add Us On GoogleAdd SciAm To safely navigate icy sidewalks, walk like a penguin Icy weather brings a serious risk of falls. Here\u2019s how to stay safe By Meghan Bartels edited by Andrea Thompson Pavlo Gonchar\/SOPA Images\/LightRocket via Getty Images The recent snow and ice storm turned much of<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":43004,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[50],"tags":[17117,21760,15131,1500,11097],"class_list":{"0":"post-43003","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-environment","8":"tag-icy","9":"tag-safely","10":"tag-sidewalks","11":"tag-turn","12":"tag-walk"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43003","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=43003"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43003\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/43004"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=43003"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=43003"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=43003"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}On supporting science journalism<\/h2>\n
It\u2019s Time to Stand Up for Science<\/h2>\n