Dangers and Prevention of Winter Pileups
With the return of winter weather comes the dangers of low visibility, slippery conditions and increased volume of traffic on our roads. These factors significantly increase the risk of one small collision between cars triggering a chain reaction of others resulting in a pileup of vehicles that can block the roadway and serve as a further hazard for approaching drivers. Winter pileups can lead to severe injuries or even fatalities, especially when taking place in high-speed settings such as highways.
There are several precautions that drivers can use during the winter months to avoid causing or contributing to a pileup collision.
First and foremost, make sure your vehicle is winter ready. Make sure you have your vehicle equipped with winter tires to increase traction on slippery roads. Make sure your vehicle’s lights are fully operational and activated so that their vehicle is fully visible to other drivers. Before setting out for a trip, ensure that your vehicle is free of ice and snow, so that you have maximum visibility, and so that snow flying off your vehicle does not cause a hazard for others. Finally, ensure that your windshield wiper fluid is topped up with freeze resistant fluid to ensure that you maintain your visibility throughout your journey.
When visibility is reduced and the road surface covered in snow or ice, it is important to travel at a speed that would allow ample time to react to hazards and other vehicles. This also necessitates increasing the following distance between vehicles and heightened attention to sudden breaking occurring in traffic ahead.
To enable drivers to practise these safe techniques it is crucial to depart for driving trips with extra time and to avoid speeding when running late. Checking forecasts and road condition reports prior to leaving is also a prudent measure to take for drivers to anticipate poor weather and traffic delays.
Despite the greatest preparation and practise of cautious driving, accidents can still occur, and drivers may find themselves in an unavoidable chain reaction collision. If you, or someone you know has sustained injuries in a winter pileup, a personal injury lawyer may be able to assist in attaining compensation.
