These Tips Could Save Your Life If You’re Stranded In The Snow

So many pile-ups have already happened this winter season and we're not even halfway through it yet. It's very important that if we're ever unfortunate enough to be caught in one of these pile-ups or even stranded on the side of the road in the snow from a spin out, we follow these important safety tips.

Pile-ups and being stranded can't be stressful so local authorities spoke to FOX 17 about what to do in these situations. Sgt. Joel Roon from the Kent County Sheriff's Office told them the best way to handle a situation like that:

Accidents in the winter time can really take a lot of different forms. Obviously, one of the scariest would be a pileup situation on a highway or something like that, which we've seen recently. In a situation like that, with low visibility and multiple cars involved, we want motorists to understand that the safest place for them to be is inside their car.

The main reason behind this is that because of the dangerous conditions, it increases the risk of you getting struck by an out of control vehicle.

Sgt, Roon went on to encourage to help the other drivers in different ways that don't involve risking injury, like calling 9-1-1...

We don't ever want to discourage anyone from safely rendering aid to anyone who needs it, but at the same time, there's not a lot you can do from outside your vehicle in a pileup situation. Stay in your car if you can.

Because most accidents during winter are low-speed, most cars are drivable after accidents, Roon continued:

One of the misconceptions we see often is that people think they need to preserve the accident scene and let the officers see where the cars came to a rest. In some cases that's helpful, but most of the time move to a safe location if you can and the officer will be able to recreate that accident scene based on your statements alone.

Sgt. Roon recently watch video footage of a local pile-up and said he was most shocked by the high speeds of drivers coming into the frame. He is strongly urging all drivers to take it slow on slippery roads:

Continually ask yourself if something were to present itself just beyond what you can see, can you get your vehicle to a complete stop safely? If the answer to that question is no, you're going too fast.

Hopefully, these tips reach some of you in time and help keep you safe this winter.