Slow down on slick roads, Utah Highway Patrol warns

Two snowy days saw more than 300 crashes in the Salt Lake area alone, Utah Highway Patrol officials said, and they think that's way too many.

The recent snowstorm that blew through northern Utah added another 45 crashes with property damage to the Salt Lake County totals, just between midnight and 8:30 p.m. Saturday.

"It's crazy, I don't understand why people won't slow down," said UHP Sgt. Larry Mower. "Don't think you can go freeway speeds when the roads are snowy and icy."

Officials said they are preparing for another storm that is likely to hit after midnight Saturday. Meteorologists said 1-3 inches of snow are expected in the valleys and 2-4 inches on the benches.

The National Weather Service Salt Lake meteorologists said the low temperature Saturday night would remain in the 30s and the high on Sunday would be in the mid-30s.

UHP troopers warned that people need to be careful and prepare for the worst.

"The last thing you want to do is be stranded on a roadway," Mower said.

The UHP sergeant said he's heard many people say after crashing their vehicles that they were traveling below the speed limit, but Mower said that's obviously too fast.

"Especially in the construction zones where there's no shoulder to make an evasive maneuver," Mower said. "The speed limit is 55, and we have people going through at 75 or 80, and that's very dangerous."

Utah County had 23 accidents with property damage, one injury accident and eight vehicle slide-offs, UHP reports. Weber County was also hit with 30 accidents between midnight and 8:30 p.m. Saturday, and 20 vehicles that slid off the road. Box Elder County received 51 accidents and 25 slide-offs, and Davis County had 25 accidents.

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