Winter has arrived in Wisconsin. With the arrival of winter, also comes the arrival of winter weather including ice, snow, fleet and freezing rain. The winter weather conditions can make weekday commutes and other travels more hazardous for drivers. Because the winter weather increases driving hazards, drivers need to be especially vigilant when driving in winter weather. Recently, a winter storm caused numerous accidents in a short period of time in Milwaukee County.
A winter storm hit Milwaukee County beginning January 17, 2019. The winter storm created slippery roadways and hazardous road conditions, which likely were a factor in accidents that occurred across the county. According to the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office, a total of 62 crashes occurred in a 13 hour span. These crashes occurred between the hours of 5:00 pm on Friday, January 17 to 6:00 am on Saturday, January 18.
Thankfully, out of all 62 reported accidents, only one minor injury was reported as resulting from the accidents. Additionally, only 24 of the accidents resulted in reported property damage. 37 of the reported accidents were disabled vehicles, which included incidents such as spin outs.
The winter weather driving conditions continued to produce problems throughout the day on Saturday, January 18. By the afternoon, the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office reported that there had been 57 disabled vehicles, 40 accidents which resulted in property damage, two of the crashes resulted in injury and there was also one operating while intoxicated related accident.
The amount of accidents throughout Milwaukee County show the hazards of winter weather driving. When winter weather hits, it is imperative that drivers take extra caution to help protect themselves and others on the roadways. Some things that drivers can do to help make themselves and others safe on the roadways is too slow their speeds, increase following distances and ensure that they are not engaging in any distracted driving activities. By practicing safe driving, we can help keep the roadways safer for all.