Snowy Road Attributed to Spanish Fork Utah Fatal Car Crash

Posted By Ron Kramer on November 17, 2009

Winter was out in full force this weekend as a big snowstorm blanketed the northern part of Utah on Saturday, November 14, 2009. Weather is partially to blame for a fatal crash in Spanish Fork Canyon that claimed the life of one Price, Utah woman and injured two others. According to the Deseret News, a man and two female passengers were traveling down the canyon in a Ford pickup truck just after 8:30 a.m. when the driver lost control of the truck and rolled off the side of the road.

Passenger, 58-year-old Iris Howe, was pronounced dead at the scene. The male driver and female passenger were transported to a local hospital with injuries that are reported as minor.

The Utah Highway Patrol report that the roads were slippery at the time of the crash and most likely contributed to this Utah fatal car crash. I offer my condolences to the family of Mrs. Iris Howe.

Snow will likely be a normal part of our commute for the coming months. Courtesy of AAA, I offer these tips for driving in the snow:

*Accelerate and decelerate slowly. Applying gas slowly is the best method to regain traction. Trying to move in a hurry will be counter productive.

*Drive Slowly. Remember that your commute will take longer on a snow-covered road. Give yourself more time to get from point A to point B when driving in winter weather.

*Increase your following distance. Remember that the normal following distance in ideal weather is three to four seconds; increase this distance to eight to ten seconds in the snow. This will allow you the longer distance needed to stop on a snowy road.

* Know your brakes. The best way to stop in snow is threshold breaking. Keep the heel of your foot on the floor and use of the ball of your foot to apply firm, steady pressure on the brake pedal.

*Don’t power up hills. Applying extra gas on snow-covered roads just causes your wheels to spin. Allow a little inertia to carry you up the hill and as you reach the crest of the hill, reduce your speed and continue down very slowly. Try not to stop on the way up a hill. There is nothing worse than trying to get your car moving again on an icy road.

*If at all possible: stay home. If you do not have to go out, don’t. Save errands for another day when weather conditions improve.