Winter weather causes problems for Oklahoma drivers

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) - It was a dicey start to the day for drivers on Tuesday. 

“Once that snow starts coming down and the wind starts hitting, you've got to take your time,” said Robert Gibson, a truck driver. “If not, you might not make it to where you're going to go."

The morning’s snow flurries and high winds wreaked havoc on the roads, causing dozens of crashes. 

"There's conditions out there that make a recipe for disaster,” said Rylie Fletcher, a spokeswoman for AAA Oklahoma. 

KFOR had crews at a handful of wrecks involving jackknifed semis. A number of them slowed traffic for hours. 

Gibson said he’s been a truck driver for eight years. 

"I saw one jackknife. I saw one semi that slid into the ditch and another one that hit a car,” said Gibson. “What people don't understand is that when we're fully loaded, that is 80,000 pounds. It takes us a long time to stop and especially in conditions like this, as you see a regular car can slide. Our trucks slide too."

The Oklahoma City Fire Department said it responded to at least 24 accidents within just a few hours Tuesday morning. A spokesman told KFOR they typically only respond to 18 in an entire day. 

AAA Oklahoma is also urging drivers to be cautious. 

"People are driving too fast. They're taking things too quickly,” said Fletcher. 

According to the agency, inclement weather is a factor in an average of nearly a half a million crashes nationwide every winter. 

"What you see on the roads versus how the roads feel can be very deceiving. So it might not look like there's ice but there can be ice present,” said Fletcher. 

AAA also offers the following safety tips for driving in snowy and icy conditions: 

• Stay home. If you really don’t have to go out, don’t. Even if you can drive well in winter conditions, not everyone else can. Don’t tempt fate. Stay home until crews can properly clear roadways.
• Check road conditions. Before you leave, assess the conditions of roads along your route.
• Drive slowly. Everything takes longer on ice- and snow-covered roads. Accelerating, stopping, turning – give yourself time to maneuver by driving slowly.
• Accelerate and decelerate slowly. Apply the gas slowly to regain traction and avoid skids. Don’t try to get moving in a hurry and take time to slow down for a stoplight. Remember: It takes longer to slow down on icy roads.
• Manage a skid. If you lose traction and begin to spin or skid on snow or ice, don’t slam on the brakes. Steer in the direction you want the front of the vehicle to go, until your tires regain traction.
• Increase your following distance to eight to ten seconds. This increased margin of safety will provide the longer distance needed if you have to stop.
• Know your brakes. Whether you have antilock brakes or not, keep the heel of your foot on the floor and use the ball of your foot to apply firm, steady pressure on the brake pedal.
• Don’t stop if you can avoid it. There’s a big difference in the amount of inertia it takes to start moving from a full stop versus how much it takes to get moving while still rolling. If you can slow down enough to keep rolling until a traffic light changes, do it.
• Don’t power up hills. Applying extra gas on snow-covered roads just starts your wheels spinning. Try to get a little inertia going before you reach the hill and let that inertia carry you to the top. As you reach the crest of the hill, reduce your speed and proceed downhill slowly.
• Don’t stop going up a hill. There’s nothing worse than trying to get moving up a hill on an icy road. Get some inertia going on a flat roadway before you take on the hill.