Many roads are clear, but a few isolated slick spots remain after blustery, intense winter weather graced the Kankakee Valley with large amounts of snowfall. The Indiana State Police advise all drivers to leave sooner and expect travel time to be twice as long as normal, to drive slower, and to increase the following distance between you and the vehicle in front of you by at least five times greater than normal. In addition, they urge drivers to approach intersections with great care as other drivers not paying attention will slide through red lights, and signal all lane changes and turning movements. If there are chips or cracks in your windshield, this is also a great time for an auto glass replacement to ensure that you have an unobstructed view of the road.
Officials have said that the posted speed limit may be more than twice as fast as the reduced speed drivers should travel to reduce the possibility of a collision or loss of control that puts a vehicle into a retaining wall, ditch or another motorist. Motorists losing control of their vehicle or who are involved in a crash resulting in a police report should expect to be cited for this offense, which carries a maximum fine of $500.
State police officials also remind motorists that the state’s Move Over Law requires motorists to change lanes away from an emergency or utility vehicle with activated emergency lights if they can do it safely. If it’s not possible to move away from the emergency vehicle, motorists must slow down and proceed with caution.
The Indiana State Police are also reminding Hoosiers to avoid calling police agencies for road information during snow emergencies, as these calls may delay action on critical life emergency 911 calls. Road conditions are likely the same for the area you want to know about as it is looking out your front window. Citizens calling state police facilities to ask for road conditions will be directed to either call the Indiana Department of Transportation’s Road and Weather automated system at 800-262-7623 or visit the INDOT traffic map at http://indot.carsprogram.org/main.jsf.
