The Indiana State Police post in Fort Wayne has seen a decrease in the number of crashes this month compared with one year ago, along with a decrease in the number of personal injuries.
The number of fatalities has remained the same.
From Dec. 1 through Dec. 19 of this year, troopers investigated 146 vehicle crashes, of which 18 caused personal injury and one resulted in a fatality.
From the same period in 2009, troopers investigated 162 vehicle crashes of which 34 caused personal injury and one resulted in a fatality, according to a release from the Indiana State Police.
The primary cause of vehicle crashes is driving too fast for weather conditions.
“We will continue to stress to motorists that their driving behavior is the primary cause of vehicle crashes, not the weather,” said District Commander Lt. Rob Townsend in a release.
Townsend asks drivers to follow these safety tips:
-Allow extra time to arrive at the destination
-Clear all windows of snow and ice and remove snow from the hood, roof, head and tail lights
-Beware of bridges, underpasses, shade areas and intersections where ice is slow to melt
-Slow down to increase traction; don\’t use cruise control on slick roads
-Avoid abrupt starts and stops; slow down gradually and keep wheels turning to avoid losing traction
-Use low-beam headlights to decrease glare from ice