Drivers in the London region may need to brush up on their winter driving skills after the latest blast of snow led to nearly 150 collisions in just 15 hours on OPP-patrolled roadways.
Between 6 p.m. Monday and 9 a.m. Tuesday, officers in the OPP's western region were called to 146 crashes.
"We were fortunate we didn't have any extremely serious crashes. Most were vehicles in the ditch. We did have an instance in which we had two roads closed due to crashes involving transports," said OPP spokesman Derek Rogers.
The eastbound lanes of Highway 401 between Veterans Memorial Parkway and Westchester Bourne were closed Tuesday morning due to multiple collisions, including one involving a tractor trailer. All lanes have since re-opened.
On Highway 402 in the Strathroy area, the eastbound lanes between Hickory Drive and Glendon Drive were closed because of a second collision involving a transport truck. All lanes were re-opened shortly after 12 p.m.
In light of the numerous collisions, OPP are again reminding motorists to adjust their driving to suit current road and weather conditions.
"When you see snow come in like it does in our area and like it did Monday night, you have to take some responsibility for the way that you are driving," said Rogers. "You do have to slow down, you do have to give yourself some extra space between your vehicle and the one in front of you to give you time to react should there be an emergency."
Rogers also recommends drivers plan ahead before hitting the road by ensuring their vehicle is winter ready with snow tires, working wiper blades, and lots of windshield washer fluid.
"All of these things are things that float to the back of your mind when you're getting into your vehicle, but they become extremely important when the road and weather conditions are less than ideal," added Rogers.
Inside the city, London police were called to 68 collisions between Monday night and Tuesday morning. During the thick of Monday's snowstorm, police reported numerous vehicles had become stuck on city streets and urged Londoners to stay home.
