Winter is arriving in Wisconsin. With the arrival of winter also comes the arrival of winter weather. Winter weather includes snow, ice, sleet, rain and icy conditions. All of these conditions can make driving and the roadways hazardous and can contribute to the possibility of being involved in an accident. Because of this, it is very important that drivers practice safe driving to help keep the roadways safe for all. Recently 16 car accidents occurred in a span of 17 hours.

Between 9 pm on Friday, December 11th and 3:30 pm on Saturday, December 12th, the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office responded to 16 car accidents and 14 disabled vehicles on the roadways. Law enforcement believe that the weather conditions played a role in the accidents and disabled vehicles. There were slick roads and dropping temperatures. Law enforcement officers encouraged drivers to reduce their speeds, keep a safe distance between themselves and other drivers, and move over when approaching emergency vehicles on the roadways. Ice trucks were also out to help salt the roads in an effort to prevent the roadways from becoming icy.

Winter weather conditions can make the roadways hazardous. Because of this it is highly important that drivers practice safe driving. Safe driving during the winter includes practicing attentive driving and limiting things that could distract your attention from the roadways, reducing your speed as it is more difficult to stop a vehicle on slippery or snowy roads, and increase the following distance between vehicles as it can take more distance to come to a stop. By ensuring that you do all of these things, you can give yourself more time to react to potential hazards on the roadways. By doing practicing safe driving in the winter, you can help keep the roadways safe for yourself and others.