In November 2011, somewhere in the proximity of Asbury Park, N.J., Billy Bauer found himself in every winter driver’s worst nightmare.

“For seven hours, my girlfriend and I were trapped in a snow bank while I was driving my BMW home from work,” says Bauer, a marketing director for his family’s firm, Royce Leather. Being trapped in a BMW isn’t quite as nice as it sounds. With snow engulfing the car, Bauer turned off the engine to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning and desperately tried to make his cell phone work.

“There was absolutely no cell phone reception,” Bauer says. “This was in the middle of nowhere on a country road.”

Bauer and his passenger didn’t exactly bond over the experience. As Bauer recalls, his now ex-girlfriend kept saying, “I told you so, Billy.”

Finally, Bauer ripped open his car’s leather seats and removed the support rods, “which I struck through the window to gain someone’s attention.”

Blinding snow. Sleet-streaked windows. Icy roads. If you live in certain parts of the country, it can feel like you’re putting your own life in your hands when you’re driving in the worst that winter can dish up