Snow calls for drivers to be cautious on winter roads

Although the glistening snow creates a winter scene on Old Main Hill at Utah State University, it also creates havoc for those on the road — and ultimately local police.

Even with traction laws in full force, there continue to be cars sliding off the road and getting into serious crashes during the winter months.

Traction laws require all vehicles to have snow-worthy tires or chains on tires. However, not everyone obeys this rule.

According to the Utah Highway Patrol website, there were a total of 2,613 crashes in Cache County in 2021 with 1,509 of those crashes happening in Logan alone.

With the number of wrecks at its peak during snowy weather, Utah Highway Patrol urges those on the road to always take extra precautions.

One crucial precaution they suggested is driving under the speed limit in dangerous conditions. Increased speed can increase chances of an accident. They further advised drivers to increase following distances, avoid quick stops and turns, and to always buckle up.

Utah State University students come to Logan from all over the U.S. For those who didn’t grow up driving in snow, it can be even more of a threat.

Ella Hutchinson, a junior at USU, is one of those students. Having grown up in Missouri, Hutchinson never had to drive on excessively snowy and icy roads. She said learning how to drive in the recent weather conditions was difficult and intimidating.

“One of our friends was driving through the canyon and we back slid,” Hutchinson said. “It was very scary because you’re just going so fast. It’s not a fun time.”

Sergeant Alan Hodges of the USU Police Department said they are always on alert for car accidents and slide-offs, especially in the Logan area.

“Make sure you have good tires.” Hodges said. “Having good tires is key to being able to handle the Cache Valley winters.”

Slick roads and foggy windows are not the only dangers Logan drivers face. Car batteries also tend to give out due to the weather conditions.

According to Hodges, car batteries are common, but the cold makes it worse. He said USU police are always available to help any student with a dead car battery, among other troubles.

Logan Police Chief Gary Jensen expressed a deep concern for local drivers and pleaded for extra caution on the roads. He advised drivers to delay trips if the roads are not looking good.

He said not only would a crash be threatening to a driver’s life, but it risks an at fault accident, injury and potentially a citation for driving too fast for the conditions.

Jensen also expressed concern for drivers not taking enough time to scrape or de-ice their vehicles before getting on the road.

“Please take a brief moment to clear all the glass before operating your vehicle,” Jensen said. “All too many times we see the driver that simply scraped a small patch on the windshield. This is dangerous and creates a greater risk of accident and can be cited.”

For more information on winter driving tips and how to prepare for winter driving visit highwaypatrol.utah.gov/winter-driving.

For more information on requirements for traction laws visit cottonwoodcanyons.udot.utah.gov/traction-law.

-Brielle.Carr@usu.edu