Weather Woes

Driving too fast for the weather conditions plays a major role in fatal crashes each year,
especially during the winter. UC Berkeley's traffic center says speed is the single
greatest contributing factor to serious crashes--not so much the violation of a posted
speed limit, but when drivers ignore weather or traffic conditions that require a reduced
speed. UTAH BASIC SPEED LAW

"It's a significant factor," the NHTSA's Tyson says. "If you're on an icy, slippery road
and it's a posted speed limit of 55, if you're going 40, you may be going too fast."

Snowfall obviously makes for dangerous road conditions. But fatalities actually drop
across the nation during days with high amounts of snow, both because more people
stay at home and because they tend to drive slower under inclement weather, says
Daniel Eisenberg, a professor in the School of Public Health at the University of
Michigan.

The exception to that rule is the first day after a major snowstorm--it takes a day or
two for drivers to regain their sense of the snow.

Researchers at Berkeley evaluated 1.4 million fatal crashes attributed to weather
conditions from 1975 to 2000. They found that fatal crashes were 14% more likely to happen on the first snowy day of the season compared with subsequent ones.

Sardine Canyon weather problems