Today’s significant snowfall, the first of the season, has kept plows, police and tow trucks busy.
As of 1:30 p.m., Tuesday, 21 collision reports had been logged by Barrie police since midnight.
No injuries have been reported in any of those crashes, Barrie police communications co-ordinator Peter Leon tells BarrieToday.
“The collision reporting centre is having a very busy day,” he said, speaking about fender-benders that typically occur when we have the first large snowfall.
“It is something that we do see a fair bit of — and in some cases it catches people off guard," Leon added.
“On days like this, if you don’t need to be out on the road or if you can reschedule an appointment you may have, if you are not comfortable with what you see outside, the safest place for you is at home," he said.
Leon encouraged drivers to take the time to properly clean the snow off your car — that means all windows, hood and roof — before you set your vehicle in motion. Also, have a full supply of windshield washer fluid.
Drivers would be wise to include an emergency roadside kit in their vehicle, especially if you are travelling outside of built-up areas.
“If you break down, you should have a blanket, a fully charged phone, perhaps even investing in a battery pack to give you the power to make a phone call, if your phone happens to be dying,” said Leon.
Dressing appropriately for the weather is equally important as well.
To help residents and visitors to Barrie, the city created a snow-plow tracking website, which provides information about when streets have been serviced with snow plows or treated with salt, sand, or brine.
Environment Canada forecasts flurries ending near midnight in the Barrie area, then cloudy with a 40 per cent chance of flurries afterwards, with local snow amounts of five to 10 centimetres.
Meanwhile, South Simcoe police officers responded to three separate collisions Tuesday after about 6 a.m., as snow squalls blanketed the area. That included a single-vehicle rollover on County Road 27, between Line 8 and Highway 88, at about 9:30 a.m. The motorist was charged with careless driving.
A fourth collision was reported early this afternoon.
None of the collisions reported to police resulted in injuries.
— With files from Chris Simon
