Pictou County RCMP responds to several recent car accidents

STELLARTON, N.S. — The first major glimpse of a long winter had Pictou County RCMP tending to several car crashes on Dec. 11.

“They started around noon (Wednesday) when the snow became more substantial,” said Cpl. Ron Bryce of Pictou District RCMP, who added five officers were needed to handle eight vehicle mishaps in the course of a few hours. There were no serious injuries reported.

Other first responders, including firefighters, were also called in for assistance.

“We had five (RCMP officers) on shift yesterday and they were all fully engaged for the entire afternoon,” Bryce said. “It went right into the evening.”

Five of the accidents were on secondary roads, the other three were on Highway 104.

“They were all fairly minor collisions, thankfully,” Bryce said. “Four of them had no injuries whatsoever, four of them had minor injuries.”

With one of the injury collisions, the vehicle rolled over three times.

He said some motorists don’t immediately adjust their driving habits in wintry conditions, when the roads can become dicey.

“The first snowfalls tend to be more treacherous and slippery. Often, there is no salt on the roads already, and it can be more treacherous then even with a treacherous snowfall.”

A FEW WINTER DRIVING TIPS

Slow down, be patient. “The roads are much more unpredictable than in summertime driving,” Bryce said.

Keep your distance between yourself and the vehicle in front of you.

Take your time, even when accelerating away from a stationary position.

Keep a winter safety kit in your vehicle in case you encounter trouble — items such as a charged cellphone, a shovel, bags of sand for traction should a motorist get stuck in the snow.

Have good, quality winter tires.