By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
As below freezing temperatures and snow strike the area, the St. Joseph Police Department is urging drivers to be cautious as they get out to travel.
Commander Dan Sweiger says before you get out to drive to make sure you take some pre-travel precautions
"Make sure you clear your vehicle off, get all the snow and stuff off so you've got good visibility," Sweiger tells KFEQ Hotline host Barry Birr. "Plan to leave just a little bit earlier because you know you're going to be driving a little slower, you should be thinking about driving a little slower, maybe even think about the route you want to take, your normal route might not be the best route, if you know that there's some good steep grades or something like that and you can avoid that it might save you some trouble in the long run."
Sweiger says as you travel be sure to slow down and be aware of your surroundings
"Keep your distance from the vehicle ahead of you, a little further apart, try to avoid sudden lane changes, simple things like that," Sweiger explains. "Anything that's going to offset the momentum of that car when you're on slick roads can lead to a crash of some sort, so just think about that."
Sweiger reminds drivers that even if you have four-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, that doesn't change the amount of time it takes to slow down while driving.
"Just think about that, so if you need to start slowing a little quicker, that way you're able to stop and not have some type of rear end accident or something like that," Sweiger says.
Sweiger says it is wise to keep an extra coat or blanket in your car when the temperature drops so low.
You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.