Snowy, icy roads can make the morning commute a bit of a challenge. And sometimes, it can be a matter of life or death.
“When we’re responding to emergency calls, we need to get there in a hurry sometimes,” said Sgt. Ian Barr from the Regina Police Service. “But, something we also need to keep in mind is if you don’t get there, you’re no help to anyone.”
As the sergeant in charge of traffic with Regina police, Barr says it’s important that officers keep road conditions in mind when heading out to calls.
“You can’t go any faster than the grip allows, even if you want to,” Barr said.
New technology, like improved winter tires and all-wheel drive, has made it a bit easier for police to get around. But when a call comes in, Barr says it can just come down to proximity.
“If you realize that somebody is much closer than you, and they’re going to get there much sooner than you, then you can slow down a little bit,” he said.
Police officers and SGI are reminding drivers to use caution when the roads get slippery.
“Give yourself lots of space between you and the vehicles around you, in case there’s a last-minute braking and you need room to stop,” said Shannon Ell, director of traffic safety promotion with SGI.
SGI statistics show that collisions spike on Regina’s Ring Road during winter months. But some can be prevented by simply removing snow from a vehicle before getting behind the wheel.
“You want to be able to have visibility out the front and the back,” Ell said. “You want to make sure that the snow’s off the entire vehicle.”
A tip that the Regina Police Service says can save a life.
“I have seen someone lose their life just for that reason,” Barr said. “A pedestrian was struck by a vehicle, and the only reason that person died was because the person driving the car that struck her was too lazy to scrape their windows.”
