Slick Roads Causing Problems For Holiday Travelers

SPOKANE — The weekend before Christmas is always busy along highways throughout the nation, and as the snow fell onto the roads in the Inland Northwest, the traffic got worse.

Freeways and streets are packed with travelers heading to be with family and friends, but the heavy snowfall on Saturday, and more expected on Sunday, many travelers could see harsh conditions wherever they are headed.

The Washington State Patrol said that as of 5:00pm on Saturday, they had responded to nearly 100 traffic incidents along areas highways. For several hours on Saturday afternoon, all available units were responding to accidents and slide-offs along Spokane area roadways.

Most of the incidents happened along Interstate 90, but as of Saturday evening there were no reports of any injuries, just damage to cars.

As the snow began to fall just after noon on Saturday, drivers quickly had to adjust to harsh conditions and drivers had a difficult time managing the roads.

Steven Johnson was heading west bound on I-90 when he lost control of his SUV and crashed into the divider.

“Just driving down the road and it’s icy out and didn’t want to break at all so instead of hitting somebody I hit the wall instead,” Johnson said.

Johnson did have his tires siped and he wasn’t even going that fast, but the conditions proved to be too slick and he couldn’t get control of his Chevy Blazer.

Once the snow has stopped falling, drivers should be concerned with icy conditions along many roads.

The Washington Department of Transportation is recommending that driver stay inside and only drive if it is absolutely necessary.