THUNDER BAY – Sloppy road conditions have led to at least 15 collisions in the past 24 hours, according to city police.
Two of the crashes involved school bus, one of which was carrying passengers.
Thunder Bay Police caution drivers to slow down when driving in wintry weather, citing mathematics as the reason.
According to acting traffic Sgt. John Toneguzzi, a vehicle traveling at 50 kilometres an hour travels 13.9 metres per second. At 90 kilometres an hour it’s up to 25.02 metres per second.
Add in an average reaction time of 1.5 seconds to start braking, then slippery roads, and stopping is even more difficult.
“Sorry for the math but it shows how much distance you lose by just reacting to the situation in front of you before you even start to brake. When you add wet roads, snow or ice to the equation you have to think about stopping and prepare to stop at a much longer distance,” Toneguzzi said in a release issued on Friday.
“So please slow down and prepare by leaving earlier for your destination.”
