Indiana Toll Road advises motorists, navigating slick roads and avoiding slide-offs

 

ELKHART, Ind. --- Winter is here in Michiana, and t’s already time for drivers to be extra cautious while out on the roads.

“Yup, it’s here!” says Elkhart resident, Bill Butler about the winter weather.

Elkhart residents had a rude awakening this morning, waking up to slick road conditions and about 4 inches of snow. Some drivers experiencing slide-offs and minor crashes due to the icy and wet roads.

“A couple of slide offs on the road coming into work,” says Butler.

“Over the last 24 hours, troopers out of our dispatch center have responded to 19 slide-offs, 11 crashes that were considered property damage, no injuries, and four crashes involving injuries, minor luckily,” says Sergeant Ted Bohner with the Indiana State Police.

The Indiana Toll Road is already seeing some of those slide-offs and crashes, including one involving a tractor-trailer carrying multiple cars sliding into a ditch on Thursday morning. Officials at the toll road warn that speed on slick roads plays a big factor in slide-offs.

“The key takeaway to that incident or any other is making sure you drive the conditions of the road,” says Rick Fedder, Chief Operating Officer at Indiana Toll Road. “A lot of times, you see those trucks that may have slid off the road or cars that may have slid off the road, a lot of times, speed is a factor. If you have to back It down to 45, or even less than that given the conditions of the road, do that, and you’ll avoid a lot of those situations.”

As drivers, road crews, and law enforcement all prepare for the road conditions and the rest of the winter ahead, they ask that you do your part as a safe driver and they’ll help you if you get stuck.

“If we see you along on the toll road and if you’ve slid off into one of the ditches, we’re going to stop and help you, we’re going to call the state police to come out and help as well,” Fedder says to assure motorists.

“You have to think about what you’re doing, leave plenty of time and space in between cars, and really pay attention to what’s going on around you,” advises Butler.