Murfreesboro Police give advice on winter driving on The Murfreesboro Post

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Murfreesboro Police give advice on winter driving

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By: TMP Reports

Posted: Wednesday, January 27, 2010 3:20 pm

Due to the recently forecasted winter weather event, Murfreesboro Police officials are preparing a response in the event the predicted winter storm causes dangerous driving conditions, property damage, or a public safety situation, the police spokesman reported.

MPD officers will be ready to respond to traffic issues including power outages at intersections, crashes, motorist assists and will be constantly looking for areas that need attention from road crews, spokesman Kyle Evans reported.

Evans stated the following information is designed to assist motorists in the event a winter weather event does occur in Murfreesboro.
• If it is not necessary to be on the roads, please stay home.
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• Vehicle Preparation: With a forecast of inclement weather, motorists should ensure that their vehicles are well maintained and properly equipped for winter driving. Motorists should check the fluid levels of their vehicles, particularly washer fluid and anti-freeze, to make sure that they are at adequate levels.
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• Tires should be inspected to ensure that they are properly inflated and have sufficient tread depth. Motorists should equip their vehicles with a snow shovel, ice scraper, jumper cables, a flashlight, cell phone, and some warm clothing and blankets.
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• Additionally, motorists are reminded to completely clear their vehicles of snow and ice prior to driving. Clearing vehicles of snow and ice enhances the safety of all motorists by providing an unobstructed view to the operator. Also, be cautious of warming up your vehicle unattended as they may become a target for car thieves.
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• Reduce Speed: Most winter weather related crashes are caused by "spin-outs" and vehicles sliding off the road due to excessive speeds for the road and weather conditions. Speed limits are set for driving under optimal, dry conditions. If road and weather conditions are adverse, it may be more reasonable and proper to operate at a speed that is well below the posted limit.
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• Leave extra space between vehicles: Under optimal driving conditions, motorists should leave at least one car length for every 10 mph between them and the vehicle in front of them. If the road and weather conditions are adverse, that distance should be significantly increased in order to afford for increased stopping distances.
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• Dial 911 in roadway emergencies: In any weather conditions, motorists who become disabled or encounter an emergency on the roadways should dial 911 and report their location and the nature of the emergency.
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• Motorists should always be aware of their location, noting the route they are traveling on and the number of the exit they most recently passed. Non-emergency calls should be made to 893-1311.
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• If you are involved in a vehicle crash and there are no injuries or disabling damage to your vehicle, move off the road into a parking lot or other safe location while waiting for police to arrive.
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• For road and driving conditions, TDOT recommends you dial 511 from any phone, land line or mobile. The 511 system provides accurate, up-to-date information about statewide traffic congestion and incidents, weather conditions, and road construction on interstate highways, state routes and U.S. routes in Tennessee.
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• From the 511 phone service, callers can request road conditions and closures for specific routes. From the www.TN511.com Web page, users have access to the statewide road conditions map, as well as the TDOT SmartWay cameras in the metropolitan areas of Nashville, Knoxville, Memphis and soon Chattanooga.

Tagged under Winter driving tips

Member Opinions:

By: BoltAction on 1/27/10
I don't see how anyone believes the weather forcasters here. They get all hyped up about snow then we get nothing.

By: RonB on 1/28/10
Same way with tornadoes. If a storm front passes through the state, they are on TV all day warning people to get in their "safe place".

By: Boo on 1/29/10
When would you want to be warned, after the fact? There are no telling how many lives were saved when the twister came thru here a while back, thanks to the great job our weather service did of informing us about the coming storm. Why can't people just be greatful instead of complaining all the time? It's called being given a choice to be prepared.