Poor winter driving conditions on QEII Highway
Posted March 8, 2019 3:02 pm.
Last Updated March 8, 2019 9:08 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
LEDUC (660 NEWS) — All the snowfall warnings across Alberta have now ended, but not before the snow caused traveller chaos on the busiest highway in the province.
The QEII has seen poor winter driving conditions since Thursday night and was closed at least twice over the last two days for jack knifed semi’s.
“Reconsider travel plans or if it’s absolutely necessary to drive, slow down and be more cautious because you’re not sure what other motorists are going to do in front of you and if you have to brake unexpectedly, that could cause chain reaction (collisions),” Cpl. Sigmund Janke said.
The highway through the Red Deer area was closed after a jack-knifed semi in the northbound lanes blocked traffic.
Further north, a tow restriction was put in place– that has now been lifted– in the Leduc area because of a multi-vehicle collision that had a number of cars and trucks in the ditch.
Cpl. Janke said no serious injuries were reported after the crash that happened around the noon hour Friday.
“There was a multi-vehicle minor injury collision involving a tractor-trailer unit and numerous passenger vehicles and pickup trucks,” Janke explained. “The roadway was exceptionally icy at the time, just south of 41 Avenue outside of Edmonton. That combined with some poor driving patterns started putting people into ditches and causing collisions.”
Most of the snow seems to have fallen in the Red Deer area, or along the western foothills.
“Given the deteriorating weather conditions at this time of year, particularly [Friday] with the onset of heavy unexpected snowfall, for motorists to not drive.”
Environment Canada reports Sundre and Carstairs received 30 centimetres of snow, Red Deer had about half that, while Edmonton, where police reported around 200 collisions Friday, had about ten centimetres of snow.
Janke also said it’s essential to have an emergency safety kit in their vehicle in case they’re involved in a crash or is stranded.
“A lot of people have access to cell phones now. Call someone and let them know where they are, and they can (also) notify the local police service, who can be mindful of their location and give them a hand out of the area.”
