Icy roads send drivers sliding

SANDPOINT — Local drivers would do well to take it easy on the roads with the winter season now in full swing, according to local law enforcement.

Consistent with previous years, the first serious snowfall of winter was accompanied by a dramatic upswing in vehicle accidents. According to Bonner County Sheriff Daryl Wheeler, there have been 10 slide-offs, two hit-and-runs, five injury accidents, 20 non-injury accidents and two unknown injury accidents — collisions where a driver was not hospitalized but may have later developed pain — across Bonner County since Monday.

Sandpoint Police Chief Corey Coon said his department has kept similarly busy this week. City police have assisted in around 12 accidents since the week began.

“There have been four or five that I’ve come across just (on Thursday),” Coon said.

According to Wheeler, he and his staff have come to expect an upswing in accidents with the first major snowfall of the year. Even so, it never fails to keep the department busy.

“Whenever you have a big change in weather as we’re experiencing right now, you always have an increase in collisions,” he said.

One struggle this season has been the relatively patchy state of county roadways, Wheeler said. Because some sections of road appear free of snow and ice, drivers sometimes feel confident enough to increase their speed and run into trouble when they hit less pristine conditions.

The best and most effective way to avoid dampening your holiday season with car repairs and insurance claims is to simply slow down, Coon and Wheeler said. When the weather calls for it, driving under the speed limit on slick roads or in poor visibility is the surest way to stay accident-free.

There are plenty of other considerations to keep in mind for winter driving as well, Coon added. Always allow plenty of space between your car and the car ahead of you to avoid a collision in case of a sudden stop. Likewise, it’s best to initiate your stops well in advance of intersections to avoid losing control. In fact, hard braking in general is the easiest way to lose control of your vehicle on a winter road.

Finally, Coon said an often overlooked safety condition is an unobstructed windshield. Make sure it’s defrosted and that your wipers are topped off with cleaning fluid for a clear view of the road at all times.