State troopers urge drivers to slow down, use caution as storms move in

SALT LAKE CITY – As snow falls along the Wasatch Front, many first responders will be busy as the accident numbers go up. State troopers say many of those crashes can easily be avoided with a bit of preparedness and some careful driving.

“Slow down. Pay attention to your surroundings,” said Sgt. Andrew Battenfield with the Utah Highway Patrol. “A lot of troopers are out there working crashes. Those crashes are there for a reason because the weather was bad. The conditions are bad. The roads are slick.”

Battenfield added that if you fail to move aside and give officers some space to work in the shoulder, you can be pulled over and get a minimum $160 fine. He said we all need to make sure our cars are properly prepared for the winter as well. It’s important to make sure your tires have proper treads as well as clear your windows from any snow or ice. It’s also important to be prepared in case you get stranded.

“Have a change of clothes, even to get into something warm, or if you get stranded in one of the more rural areas of the state, food, blankets, flares, there’s all kinds of things that you can do to prepare, even put kitty litter or sand in your car in case you can get out of a slick situation on your own,” Battenfield said.

The Utah Department of Transportation issued a road weather alert advising drivers to slow down and use “moderate to high” caution while traveling on many of the state’s roads through early Saturday morning, as another cold front arrives. Snow is expected to begin falling along the Wasatch Front as early as the mid-morning hours and continue into the afternoon.