SALT LAKE CITY — Snowfall hit the valley Saturday morning, and state officials are sharing some safety reminders for winter road conditions.
"If you just slow down and also keep an ample space between you and the car in front of you, this would prevent a lot of accidents that we have," said Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Brandon Alsop. "If the temperature is near freezing, that's when black ice does occur."
Though it's been a light winter so far, it looks like icy driving conditions could stick around.
"We have some storms that are coming up and we could see some slick driving conditions," said John Gleason, the public relations director for the Utah Department of Transportation.
With the snow, roadways are icy in some areas, and UHP asks motorists to slow down.
"Most important thing with black ice is that if you do feel yourself starting to slide, you'll want to immediately take your foot off the gas pedal," said Alsop.
As people hit the roads UHP encourages motorists to pump the brakes.
"Try to resist the urge to slam the brakes. This may cause you to lose more control or start to slide or skid even more than you would," said Alsop.
UDOT explained that certain streets may freeze over first.
"The bridges and the overpasses are the areas that will slick up a little bit quicker than the rest of the road, just because there's air going underneath the bridge and it can freeze much quicker," said Gleason.
If the car is skidding, turn into the direction you're going. Be on alert about what could be ahead, even when roads look dry.
"If you see another car sliding in front of you or a car that's already slid off the side of the road, that'd be a good indicator to slow down," said Alsop.
With more winter weather ahead, people should drive with caution and plan for more time on their routes.
"We've had a light winter so far, but it looks like we'll be driving in those conditions again very soon and our crews will be out there doing everything that they can to make the roads safe," said Gleason.
DRIVEN TO CHANGE
