United States: As winter approaches, weather conditions sometimes turn unfavourable for people as the number of fatal road mishappenings increase owing to the heavy snowfall.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, more than 70 percent of the roads in the United States are in snowy regions.
About 50 -70 percent of the population of the United States of America lives in areas with regular winter snowfalls.
Heavy snowfalls cover the surface of the roads, and later on, the surface of the road freezes, which creates a fragile layer of water, which reduces the friction, and drivers find it difficult to drive. Snow can decrease the average speed by 3 to 13 percent, and it also increases the cost of maintenance of the roads.
There are plenty of road maintenance agencies that spend millions of dollars on repairing road infrastructure damaged by snow as well as ice.
More than 1,300 people died, and about 116,800 people were injured by adverse weather-related vehicle road accidents that took place on snowy and icy roads. Moreover, on an annual basis, nearly 900 individuals are killed, and about 76,000 people are injured in car mishaps, as per the statistics shared by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Here is the list of safety precautions that can protect one from mishappening:
- Control over the vehicle is better when the speed of the vehicle is slow and steady and avoid skidding.
- Using indicators can help in road safety, and it helps in indicating other drivers.
- The headlights should be on a low beam.
- The tires of the vehicles should include chains or traction control devices (One should go for narrow tyres as the grip of those tyres on the road are more suitable).
On the roads of the United States of America, people should be careful during the time period of the cold surge, and precautions are always better than cure.
Information gather from: U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)
