By Paul Bean
Winter made its official arrival in Vermont Tuesday, blanketing the state with 2 to 6 inches of fresh snow and turning roads slick across the Green Mountains.
From midnight to 2 p.m., Vermont State Police responded to 50 weather-related crashes: 27 in the northern half of the state and 23 in the south. Seventeen of those wrecks happened on interstate highways, with one injury reported, while 33 occurred on secondary roads, resulting in three injuries.
No fatalities or serious injuries were reported in the flurry of incidents.
On this #TrafficSafetyTuesday, troopers are reminding drivers to treat every storm like the first of the season: slow down, double or triple following distance, allow extra travel time, turn on headlights, and always buckle up.
These first snowfalls catch a lot of us off guard and a few simple adjustments behind the wheel can prevent most of these crashes.
“And remember, 4 wheel drive does not stop you any faster than front wheel drive,” writes one commenter on the VSP Facebook page in response to the post.
Road crews continue to plow and treat highways, but conditions can change quickly in higher elevations. Drivers are urged to check 511vt.com for the latest updates before heading out Wednesday morning.