It’s the time of year that drivers need to slow down and be aware of road conditions. But during Tuesday’s winter blast, drivers seemed to forget that rule.
Emporia and Lyon County saw no major infrastructure problems as a result of Tuesday’s winter blast, which included some ice and snow. However, law enforcement officials said drivers did not take heed during yesterday’s icy conditions.
No serious injuries or fatalities were reported, despite the outburst of traffic accidents, both inside and outside the city limits.
Lyon County Sheriff Gary Eichorn said this morning that there were no power outages in the area but it was drivers who caused the problems. There were seven accidents listed on the Lyon County Sheriff’s log for Tuesday.
“There were quite a few wrecks,” Eichorn said. “We’re pretty fortunate that nobody really got hurt in this area. ... People don’t seem to catch on when it gets slick.”
Eichorn said drivers need to slow down and not drive so aggressively during winter weather.
“We just encourage everybody to be cautious and aware of the road conditions,” he said.
City streets iced over quickly after the blowing snow began, and conditions deteriorated throughout the day and evening.
Emporia Police Traffic Officer Larry Clay ended his shift at 3 p.m. Tuesday and got called back to work an hour and a half later.
“Sixth Avenue was just like a sheet of glass,” Clay said.
The snowfall lacked accumulation, but its horizontal blowing patterns and wetness quickly made street conditions hazardous.
“The conditions were just right to create a problem like this,” Clay said.
When he returned to work at 4:30 p.m., “officers were working accident after accident. There were calls waiting, as far as accidents go.”
Clay said people driving too fast for conditions and following too closely were the primary causes of Tuesday’s traffic troubles.
“When it’s icy conditions, we need to take care and watch our following distances,” Clay said. “The less traction you have on the roadway, the greater distance it requires to stop a vehicle.”
The best advice Clay had for drivers was to stay inside as much as possible when winter weather turns streets to skating rinks.
“The main thing is, if they see the roadways in this condition, if you don’t have to get out, don’t. Stay home,” Clay said. “I really can’t stress that enough. The less traffic we have on the roadways, the easier it is going to be on everybody.”
madpoet (anonymous) says...
I'm surprised there weren't more accidents. I saw people driving stupid yesterday afternoon. I was so glad to clear the city limits and get away from the reckless drivers! The people on I-35 were actually being responsible giving lots of room and not going too fast.
December 10, 2008 at 3:38 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Kevin_Tina_4Ever (anonymous) says...
It would be nice if the city put some sand or salt down so that it wasn't like driving on a skating rink... it's hard to fault the drivers every time when all roads except the main roads are basically undriveable
December 10, 2008 at 5:57 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
justthefacts (anonymous) says...
The city was out at 8:20 a.m. sanding and salting streets as they passed me as I was driving downtown. People need some common sense: It's winter outside drive accordingly. If you want streets to be clean and dry all the time, expect to pay a heck of a lot more property taxes than you do now. You can't have it both ways.
December 10, 2008 at 6:23 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )