The winter months have arrived and with it the multitude of accidents that happen annually as a result of drivers driving as if the weather hasn’t changed.
Snow, ice and fog call for drivers to decrease their speed and increase their following distance, but AIM Transportation Solutions Safety Manager John Rugarber said most drivers – passenger and professional – don’t heed those life-saving rules. Driving too fast for conditions is the No. 1 reason for winter-related accidents, followed by failure to keep a safe following distance, failure to adjust for low visibility and loss of traction when stopping.
According to the Federal Highway Administration Road Weather Management Program, 24% of weather-related accidents occur on snowy, slushy or ice-covered roadways. So ‘tis the season for jackknifed tractor trailers along the 70% of America’s roads located in snowy regions that receive more than five inches of snow annually.
“As much as you think you may be slowing down enough, chances are you aren't,” Rugarber said.
Rugarber offered some tips for safety managers and drivers during the winter season, and slowing down, followed closely by increasing distance, is his top tip in any weather condition, whether snow, fog or ice.
He said for following distance AIM recommends six seconds on a dry roadway. In a rainstorm, a driver needs approximately 50% more stopping distance than on a dry roadway. With snow, drivers need two times the normal stopping distance, and with ice drivers need three times the normal stopping distance.
“We travel the roadways every day. Very few people can truly follow that following distance, and it's a shame because the habits we get into when the weather is perfect are the same habits that we bring to the table when the weather gets bad,” Rugarber said. “Most people do not change the way they drive dramatically when it goes from being good weather to bad weather.”
