SALT LAKE CITY — Early snow made for a rough morning commute for drivers Monday, as Utah Highway Patrol responded to nearly 100 crashes and warned drivers to be prepared for more slick conditions.

It’s a familiar message, though some may not like hearing it in March: slow down in snow.

“We continue to see the same thing and a lot of those are due to speed,” Sgt. Cameron Roden with the Utah High Patrol said.

“When there’s a lot of snow on the road we just continue to see people going too fast in these conditions, which cause people to lose control.”

Roden says when combined with freezing temperatures and overnight snow, high speeds lead to more crashes. So far this year he said Utah’s crash totals  are up compared to previous years, “as would be expected with the amount of snow and stuff that we’ve seen.”

By 9:30 a.m. Monday, UHP troopers had already responded to nearly 100 crashes. Most of them in Salt Lake County and many of them slides that ended in barriers or other cars. He said none of the crashes were too severe or resulted in serious injuries.

Roden is warning drivers to not only slow down but to be careful when changing lanes and to watch out for first responders on the side of the road.

With more winter storms on the way this week, he called Monday’s morning commute, “a good reminder for us all to be more patient and take that little extra time to get into work.”