Slippery Conditions Cause Hundreds Of Accidents

Emma Henderson had to have a tow-truck pull her car out of a ditch after she skidded out Saturday afternoon, but the shaken motorist was counting her blessings.

“I’m lucky to be alive,” she said.

Her situation could’ve been much worse. She lost control of her car and came very close to crashing into a light standard at the side of the road near Highway 404 and Stouffville Road.

Henderson (pictured) was one of hundreds of drivers who were involved in serious traffic accidents Saturday thanks to the freezing rain/snow combination that made for some extremely slippery conditions on the roads in and around the GTA.

The O.P.P. says it responded to nearly 500 crashes Saturday, including a serious incident on the 401 in Pickering involving a jackknifed rig that slowed traffic for nearly an hour.

Police were called out to another serious accident on the 400 just north of the 407 involving three vehicles, one of which caught fire.

“It looked like the lady hit the guardrail and careened off and smacked into me,” said driver Brian Thompson.

“I had to back up the truck so they could get the passenger door open, about five or six guys struggling to get it open and finally they got it open and dragged her out.”

Temperatures are expected to drop and the freezing rain is forecast to change to light snow Saturday evening.

If you’re concerned about the traction of your tires there is a simple test you can do that will only cost you a cent.

Take a penny and turn it so the Queen’s crown is facing upside down and put it in the tread of your tires. If you can see any part of the crown sticking out above the tire it may mean you don’t have enough traction and you should consider getting your wheels replaced.

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Here are some tips on driving safely in winter weather, courtesy of CAA .

General Tips

• Leave a lot of room. Cops say a gap of at least three times the norm is the best way to ensure you can stop.
• Leave extra time. You can’t get there as fast as usual, so either leave early or don’t expect to be there when you should.
• Slow down. It’s obvious, but when you’re leaving that extra room, it’s tempting to speed up. Don’t.
• Brake earlier. Don’t wait until the last minute to try and stop at a stop sign or a light. You may not be able to.
• Starting is sometimes as bad as stopping. Accelerating on slippery roads can be as dangerous as putting on the brakes. Lightly step on the gas to get going after a stop, to avoid skidding.
• Ensure visibility for both you and others. Clean off your back and side windows and your roof if they’re snow covered, and turn on your lights.
• Look ahead. Scan several cars in the distance to ensure you know what those far ahead of you are going to do, increasing your reaction time.
• Top up your tank. You could be sitting in traffic for a while, and don’t want to run out of gas.
• Top up your washer fluid and keep an extra bottle in your trunk.
• Check your heating and electrical system.
• Check your battery and clean the terminals, especially if they’re more than 5 years old.
• Use snow tires.
• Don’t try to pass a snow plow. They’re slow, but they’re out there for a reason and will clear the road in front of you.
• Take a cell phone. If you have an emergency or see someone else in one, you can use it to call for help. But keep off it during your commute if you can. Your attention has to be on the road.
• If you’re worried about driving in these conditions, consider public transit.
• Watch for pedestrians. You may be responsible, but sometimes they aren’t. They still tend to cross the road where there are no lights, and don’t seem to realize it takes you a lot longer to stop than it normally would.
• Be patient. In the end, like the story of the “Tortoise and the Hare”, slow and steady really does win this race.

Rear Wheel Skids

• Take your foot off the brake if the rear wheels skid due to hard or panic braking.
• Ease off the gas pedal if the rear wheels lose traction due to hard acceleration.
• Shift to neutral.
• Look down the road in the direction you want the front of the car to go and be sensitive to the feel of the car and how it’s responding to your steering.
• To regain control of the vehicle, steer gently in the direction of the skid of the rear of the vehicle. Just before the skid ends, bring the front wheels straight. Sometimes the vehicle will skid in the opposite direction, so you may have to repeat the movement until the vehicle stabilizes.
• Once the vehicle is straight, return to a driving gear and accelerate gently so that engine speed matches road speed.

Front Wheel Skids

• If the front wheels skid from hard braking, release the brake. If the wheels spin from loss of traction due to acceleration, ease off on the accelerator.
• Shift to neutral.
• If the front wheels have been turned prior to the loss of traction, don’t move the steering wheel. Since the wheels are skidding sideways, a certain amount of braking force will be extended.
• Wait for the front wheels to grip the road again. When traction returns, you’ll regain steering control.
• Return to a driving gear and gently steer in the direction you want to travel. Gently accelerate until engine speed matches road speed.

Four Wheel Skids

• Remove your foot from the brake or accelerator.
• Shift into neutral.
• Look and steer in the direction you want the front of the car to go.
• Wait for the wheels to grip the road again. As soon as the wheels regain traction, you’ll wind up in the direction you want to go.
• Return to a driving gear and maintain a safe speed.

ABS Braking

• This one’s the opposite to the others. If you have the ABS System in your car, don’t pump the brakes or take your foot off the pedal. The system is designed to stop your wheels from locking if you slam to a stop, and allow you to continue to control the car.
• If you do wind up pumping the brakes out of habit, they may pulse back against your foot as a reminder you’re not riding them right.

Hidden Dangers

Remember, what you can’t see can hurt you. Watch for the three hidden hazards of winter driving:

• Black ice: The most deceptive of all cold weather woes. It’s invisible to the eye and can form before you’re even aware of it. If the pavement looks shiny and black instead of a grayish-white, be suspicious.
• Bridges and overpass: They tend to ice over first, and provide the most chance you’ll slide into the guy next to you.
• Intersections: They also get slippery faster because of all the car exhaust and packed snow that surrounds them. And more people are likely to slip when making a turn at a corner.

What To Do If You’re In An Accident

A lot depends on how serious it is. You should report the mishap to the police, but in winter conditions, you can’t expect them to be there anytime soon – if at all.

If the damage is minimal and no one is hurt, you can simply exchange information with the other driver and take your story to one of the city’s collision reporting centres within 24 hours.

Get the cars off the road A.S.A.P., and call a tow truck if necessary. You only need to involve police if:

• There’s a death or serious injury.
• The accident is a result of criminal behaviour (like impaired driving or a stolen car).
• The mishap involves a T.T.C. bus or streetcar or a federal or provincial vehicle.
• The accident involves someone who’s not insured or whose license is already under suspension.
• It involves a vehicle or truck transporting dangerous goods, like chemicals.
• If there’s serious property damage.

Collision Centre Locations

They’re open 24 hours, seven days a week, and can be found at:

Scarborough

39 Howden Rd.

(Lawrence E., between Warden and Birchmount.)

Etobicoke

855 Oxford St.

(Near Royal York Road, between QEW and Evans Ave.) North York

113 Toryork Dr.

(Near Weston Road, between Steeles and Finch)

Brampton

7750 Hurontario St.

(Near Hwy. 10 & Steeles)

185 Central Park Drive

(Highway 7 and Central Park Dr.)

Mississauga

3030 Erin Mills Parkway

(Near Dundas St. West)

4600 Dixie Road

(South of Eglinton)

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