As with every winter storm, this past holiday weekend resulted in a spike of highway accidents.
Starting last Friday night through Monday morning there were 378 reportable accidents statewide to be exact. Reportable meaning accidents that require more than $1500 in repairs.
That number doesn’t include every car sliding into a ditch for example.
“We had a pretty high volume of crashes and unfortunately one of those was a fatal crash out [near Magna]," says Sergeant Toddy Royce with Utah’s Highway Patrol.
Royce says this increase in accidents is pretty typical for a storm this size.
“As far as timing goes this story actually timed itself fairly well," says Royce.
Storms that hit during a workweek can cause a lot more damage. As far as advice to those driving in snowy conditions, Royce says preventing accidents is all about speed.
“When the interstates are snow packed, people know that those roadways are slick, so they’ll automatically slow down," says Royce.
But when the roads are wet and freeze again overnight people don’t realize the risk is even higher. Those "black ice" conditions caused a lot of this weekend’s accidents.
Royce says it’s important to keep in mind that speed limits are for optimal driving conditions like a sunny day. Any change in weather should mean a softer touch on the gas pedal.
