Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service has urged motorists to take extra care during icy conditions following a series of road traffic collisions earlier this week, including the second in a few days on Yarnfield Lane.
The service has also issued advice to motorists for safe driving in winter weather conditions (see below).
Firefighters have attended a number of incidents which are believed to have been due to the icy weather conditions that affected Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent overnight on Monday.
Crews from Stone and Stafford along with the rescue tender from Longton attended an incident on Yarnfield Lane at 8am on Tuesday morning. The incident involved one car which had come off the road. Firefighters assisted paramedics in releasing the female driver and she was taken to University Hospital of North Staffordshire by land ambulance. Firefighters made the vehicle safe and left the scene at 8.19am.
Head of Risk Reduction Glynn Luznyj said: “The road conditions in some parts of the county were quite hazardous on Tuesday morning and crews were called out to a number of road traffic collisions believed to have been caused because of the ice.“I would urge people to take extra care when the carriageways are wet or slippery – slow down and drive to the road conditions, not necessarily the speed limit. Taking some simple precautions, such as giving yourself plenty of journey time, ensuring your tyre tread meets the legal requirement and keeping a good distance behind the car in front, could end up saving your life or someone else’s life.”
Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service is encouraging drivers to follow the below safety tips in order to protect themselves and their passengers as well as other road users and pedestrians.
Driving in fog
- Beware of other road users, particularly cyclists and pedestrians
- Do not use front or rear fog lights unless visibility is seriously reduced – they dazzle other road users and can obscure your brake lights. Use them when visibility is less than 100 metres
- Make sure that you can stop within the distance you can see clearly, especially on motorways and dual carriageways where vehicles travel faster
- Use your windscreen wipers and de-misters.
Driving in ice and snow
- Drive with care, even on treated roads, and do not speed
- Keep a good distance behind the vehicle in front
- Watch out for snowploughs which may throw out snow on either side
- Be prepared for the road conditions to change over relatively short distances
Prepare your vehicle
- Make sure that your vehicle is serviced and that your tyres are correctly inflated
- Make sure your battery is not faulty – if in doubt, change it
- Keep your windows clean and washer bottle full
- Make sure that your heaters are blowing hot air.
Plan your journey
- Keep up to date on the latest weather forecasts
- Driving in severe conditions can be tiring, plan plenty of breaks if on a long journey
- Pack an emergency snow kit including items such as a shovel, mobile phone, torch, food, water, ice scraper, jump leads, first aid kit, warm clothes, sturdy boots, cat litter or sand.
