Treacherous winter conditions were to blame for a devastating massive car pile-up. The accident caught up 95 cars when all was said and done.
I'm sure I'm not the first to tell you that high speeds and snow don't mix. I still remember when I was driving in Vermont for the first time in winter a few years ago. At the time, I went to stop at a red light, but the car didn't stop, sliding past the intersection. I was only going around 30 miles per hour then. It sounds like these cars were going much faster.
The incident happened in Kazakhstan on January 3. When you combine high speeds and snow, you get a domino effect of cars crashing into one another. More than 20 people got injured in the resulting pile-up. The snow was flowing heavily, so it was hard for drivers to see in the treacherous winter conditions. Combine that with a snowy, icy road, and you have a recipe for disaster.
First responders ended up transporting 12 people to the hospital. Road management operator KazAvtoJol blamed the drivers, saying that they failed to comply with speed limit laws. Additionally, the country warned about treacherous winter conditions, urging people not to travel. Thirty people managed to escape the pile-up to continue to their destination. But 50 vehicles remained stuck on the road.
Treacherous Winter Conditions To Avoid
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there's some important tips that you should follow if you want to avoid crashing during treacherous winter conditions. The organization reported 153,620 police-reported traffic crashes in 2022 from winter conditions.
The most important to consider is: "Don't crowd a snow plow or travel beside the truck. Snow plows travel slowly, make wide turns, stop often, overlap lanes, and exit the road frequently. If you find yourself behind a snow plow, stay far enough behind it and use caution if you pass the plow."
You should also stay with your vehicle if you do get stalled. Be careful of carbon monoxide poisoning as well from a blocked tail pipe. Of course, it's always better to avoid traveling.
The organization wrote, "Check your local weather and traffic reports before heading out. If your roads are not in good shape, consider postponing non-essential travel until the roads are cleared....Make sure you are prepared in case you become delayed while traveling. If making a long road trip when winter weather is forecasted, consider leaving early or changing your departure to avoid being on the roads during the worst of the storm."
