Winter driving requires drivers to be alert
The presence of snow dramatically alters the likelihood of an automobile accident here in Logan.
“We usually average about ten automobile accidents a day in Cache Valley,” said Sergeant Michael Vaughan of the Logan Police Department .
When asked whether the snow increases the number of daily accidents, Vaughan said, ” Yes, it does. Absolutely. The number increases with the snow and I have seen it go as high as 95 accidents in one day, due to a snowstorm. It was horrible. The storm came about three that afternoon and caught the 5 o’clock rush. The snow plows couldn’t go fast enough and people were rushing, just trying to get home.
“The most common location for car accidents are our Main Street intersections. They have a high crash rate,” Vaughan said.
He also said statistics indicate that people between the ages of 18 to 25 are most likely to be involved in a car accident.
Justin Wickard, a freshman psychology major from Nebraska, said he has grown accustomed to driving in the snow.
“The biggest thing is just learning to slow down, take turns easy and watch your speed, especially if you drive a truck. If you’re in a truck, then weight the truck with blocks or sand bags,” he said.
“I have had a close call in the snow. I was turning and I turned too fast and I hit some black ice and I almost hit a pole and another car. It was pretty scary, so now I watch my speed when I’m turning,” Wickard said.
Vaughan said, “A lot of our crashes involve driver that are in the 18 to 25 age range. National statistics tell us that they are the most probable to be in an accident.”
Brandy Heyrend, an undeclared freshman from Idaho Falls, offered the following advice.
“Try not to speed and don’t slam on your brakes. I think those are the two most important things to remember,” he said.
“It should be pretty easy if you drive slow and pump your brakes. Here, you have to watch for out-of-state people, because everyone at USU is from all over, and some of them don’t know how to drive in the snow,” Heyrend said.
Vaughan said, “Slow down. Usually we like to say that you have one car length for every mile per hour and with the snow you should double that. People can’t go as fast as they do without the snow.
“A lot of the crashes we see happen when people are not giving themselves that car length and then they can’t stop soon enough. Just slow down and be aware of other drivers and the weather conditions,” he said.