By Staff
A recent winter storm that has caused hazardous road conditions and road closures throughout the state is serving as a reminder just how dangerous driving in winter weather can be. From the early morning hours of November 10th until 9:30 a.m. this morning (Nov. 12th), the Wyoming Highway Patrol has investigated 87 crashes statewide. 52 of those crashes were classified as non-injury, 34 involved injury and one resulted in two fatalities.
To keep yourself safe while traveling in adverse weather conditions, always wear your seat belt. Since September 1st of this year, the last 24 of the 25 highway fatalities in Wyoming, that had seat belts available, were not wearing their seat belts.
Reducing your speed and increasing your following distances when traveling in winter weather decreases your risk of becoming involved in a crash significantly. Also remember to change lanes and slow down on interstate highways when approaching crash scenes and slow down significantly when approaching crash scenes on two lane highways. Secondary crashes into initial crash scenes are one of the most hazardous situations first responders experience during adverse weather conditions as this video, that does contain content that may be disturbing to some viewers, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvhRHiskRIc produced by the Montana Highway Patrol shows.
Buckle up, slow down, give yourself space and ultimately ask yourself if the risk of becoming involved in a crash is worth the reason why you are going to be traveling in poor weather conditions. Wyoming has experienced 131 highway fatalities so far this year and is keeping pace with the 150 total fatalities recorded in 2014. Don’t become a statistic. Drive safe Wyoming.