Sudden snowfall brings danger to Lansing area travelers

A number of traffic accidents struck Mid-Michigan during this weekend’s snowfall, East Lansing police Sgt. Mike Phillips said.

There typically are an increased number of crashes when snow and ice descend on the roads, he said.

“People haven’t adjusted their driving style — they keep their speeds,” Phillips said.

“If the roads get icy, and the first people don’t adjust, they can’t stop or steer.”

In DeWitt, two people were killed and two others were sent to the hospital Sunday evening when a truck collided with a van, according to DeWitt police.

The driver of the truck was traveling west on Clark Road near a U.S. 127 overpass when he lost control and drifted into the eastbound lanes, police said. The truck hit a van traveling east.

The truck’s 22-year-old driver died at the scene, and the vehicle’s passenger was transported to Lansing’s Sparrow Hospital, where he later died.

A family of seven occupied the van, and five of the occupants were children, police said. Two of the children were transported to Lansing’s Sparrow Hospital, where one of the children is in critical condition.

The fatal crash was not the only incident on the roads this weekend. East Lansing police reported six traffic crashes Sunday, but were unclear on how many were related to the snow.

At least one vehicle slid off the road between Friday and Saturday because of wintery conditions, Phillips said.

About 2.3 inches of snow have fallen so far this season, which is just below the 2.6 inch average, WLNS meteorologist David Young said.

“We’re just a touch below normal,” he said.

But the amount of snow has a smaller effect on drivers than the timing of the snow.

Drivers always take time to adjust to icy conditions and decreased visibility, said Anne Readett, spokeswoman for the Michigan State Police Office of Highway Safety Planning.

“It is sort of a relearning curve every year with the start of winter conditions. There must be a period of forgetting appropriate driving,” she said.

With snow beginning to fall, drivers need to let off the gas pedal and be prepared for changing road conditions, Readett said.

“The most important thing people need to do is slow down, and slow down significantly.”

Published on Monday, November 17, 2008