Driving Tips For Icy Conditions

(Memphis) Temperatures are dropping by the minute with the potential to make roads very dangerous.

If you have to drive somewhere these conditions, it can be nerve-racking and extremely dangerous, especially at night!

Police say there were a total of 81 accidents from 6 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. in Memphis Friday. Many of them caused by the same few things.

“It was real scary because that car was going fast,” said George Wooden.

News Channel 3 found George Wooden on the side of I-240 near Getwell. His car was totaled when a car slammed into him after hitting the medium.

“He came all the way over and smacked the front of my car and went into a ditch and smacked me around three times.”

He says the driver of the other car was going way too fast in these slippery conditions.

“I would say most important is to wear your seatbelt,” said Lt. Eddie Bass with the traffic division of the Memphis Police Department. “Second of all, don’t drive fast. Third, allow yourself some space between other drivers.”

Lt. Bass says the most common accident in this weather is rear-end collisions.

He says drivers should keep two to three car lengths between each other and if you’re car hits a patch of ice and you start to slide, lightly pump your brakes and do this:

“If the vehicles is going straight and you so happen to slide to the left turn your steering wheel to the left,” said Lt. Bass.

“What was your driving technique?” asked Reporter Sabrina Hall to Wooden.

“Well, you have to steer into the slide,” he said.

Wooden also did one of the most important things of all, he remained calm.

“If your vehicle happens to tailspin, don’t panic,” said Lt. Bass.

If you’re one of the thousands who will head out in this weather, despite the warnings and risks, Lt. Bass says use common sense.

“Give that cellphone a break! Time leave that cell phone alone. Pay attention to what’s in front of you.”

Lt. Bass says we had much fewer accidents than expected Friday because of all the event, work and school cancellations, people mostly stayed off the roads.

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