Hats are off to local drivers who braved the onslaught of winter weather with relatively few mishaps Monday night and Tuesday morning, says a civilian employee with the Red Deer City RCMP.
Dave Hample, who retired from the RCMP in 1999 and now works the detachment’s front counter, said he had received only four collision reports from within Red Deer by 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, despite treacherous conditions on streets and highways.
Most collision reports crossing the front counter at the city detachment came from Hwy 2, but there were still fewer than police would normally expect from the area’s first real bout of winter, said Hample.
The first significant snowfall of the year usually catches drivers by surprise. Winter driving skills, overall, improve as the season progresses, he said.
Sgt. Bob Bell, in charge of the detachment’s traffic section, said drivers need to take two precautions: Slow down and invest in a set of winter tires.
All-season tires stiffen and lose traction at temperatures of -7C and colder, said Bell.
Motorists can get by with all-season tires if the tread is still good, but are asking for trouble if the tires have significant wear, he said.
Jim Chase, roads superintendent for the city’s public works department, said crews have been working around the clock to control icy conditions, including a laying liquid de-icing formula before or during the start of a storm to help prevent snow and ice from building up.
The liquid deicer reduces plough time, sand use and spring clean up, said Chase. His crews work on three different shifts to manage the streets as much as possible during winter storms, using 12 sanding trucks, four graders and two salt-brine units.
While crews do everything they can to keep road surfaces as safe as possible, it’s up to motorists to exercise caution and to take special care when driving around snow and ice control equipment, said Chase.
Local streets and highways started turning nasty early Monday evening, when rain started to fall after a warm, sunny day.
The rain soon turned to light snow that has continued on and off since then.
Environment Canada predicts similar conditions for the rest of the week, with daytime highs averaging in the mid teens and overnight lows nearing -20.
bkossowan@www.reddeeradvocate.com