Snowy weather leads to spike in accidents

WASHINGTON — A blast of scenic but slippery winter weather swept through Eastern Iowa Thursday, bringing a 1-4 inch blanket of snow as well as a handful of car accidents, based on county Call for Service logs released Friday morning.

The emergency service records showed at least 15 incidents involving weather, car accidents, or vehicles leaving the road in Henry, Jefferson and Washington counties Dec. 28, many of them concentrated in the early afternoon, a few hours after the snowfall began.

Washington County Chief Deputy Shawn Ellingson said such reports were especially common for the first few snowfall events of each winter.

“That is a typical pattern that I’ve seen over numerous years, we all forget how to drive in this stuff,” he said. “Then, after two or three snowstorms, we kind of realize that, maybe it’s not that important we get our frappuccino, or we go a little later so that the road can get cleared off by the state and county road crews.”

Other officials added that relatively low snowfall totals didn’t assure safety. The Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management reported that 75% of the state’s car accidents happen in less than 2 inches of snow.

A variety of state and local government agencies took to social media Thursday warning drivers to drive slower and brake earlier, repeating a slogan of “ice and snow, take it slow.”

“Persistent light snow … will (quickly) reduce visibilities to under a mile at times,” the National Weather Service station in the Quad Cities said Thursday night. “Snow is now covering many roads due to cooling temperatures. Slow down, and drive carefully!”

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com