STELLARTON, N.S.
The first major glimpse of a long winter had Pictou County RCMP tending to several car crashes on Dec. 11.
“They started around noon yesterday when the snow became more substantial,” said Cpl. Ron Bryce of Pictou District RCMP, who added that five officers were needed to handle eight vehicular mishaps in the course of a few hours. There were no serious injuries reported.
Other first responders such as firefighters were also called in for assistance.
“We had five (RCMP officers) on shift yesterday and there were all fully engaged for the entire afternoon,” Bryce added.
“It went right into the evening.”
Five of the accidents were on secondary roads and the other three were on Highway 104.
“They were all fairly minor collisions, thankfully,” Bryce said. “Four of them (had) no injuries whatsoever, four of them had minor injuries.”
One of the injury collisions was a rollover, when the vehicle rolled over three times.
He said some motorists don’t immediately adjust their driving habits in wintry conditions, when the roads can become dicey. “The first snowfalls tend to be more treacherous and slippery. Often, there is not salt on the roads already, and it can be more treacherous then even (with) a treacherous snowfall.”
A Few Winter Driving Tips
• Slow down, be patient. “The roads are much more predictable than in summertime driving,” Bryce said.
• Keep your distance between yourself and the vehicle in front of you.
• Take your time, even when accelerating away from a stationary position.
• Keep a winter safety kit in your vehicle in case you encounter trouble: items such as a charged cell phone, a shovel, bags of sand for traction, should a motorist get stuck in the snow.
• Good quality winter tires.
