Troopers urge caution to holiday travelers as winter storms move in

NEPHI – An incoming storm ahead of Presidents’ Day weekend could be a bad combination for holiday travelers.

Many drivers expected to take Interstate 15 are headed through one of Utah’s dangerous trouble spots. With the wrong conditions, state troopers told KSL TV the number of car crashes can add up fast.

What can be a quiet drive through rural Utah can turn dangerous in an instant once snow and ice are added. On Tuesday alone, there were 13 crashes from Santaquin through Juab County. They were all weather-related.

Related: Multi-vehicle crash caused heavy delays in Lehi

“We had one that was a six-car crash, a four-car crash, and multiple two cars, and some cars that just slid off the road,” Lt. Corey Houskeeper, with the Utah Highway Patrol, said.

Houskeeper runs the Utah Highway Patrol office in Nephi. He said the problem is that central Utah has long open roads with high speeds, the elevation changes mile by mile – and so can the weather.

“The roadways change from being dry in Spanish Fork to icy conditions by the time you hit Santaquin,” Houskeeper said.

Factor in extra drivers for the holiday and your odds for a crash go up.

David McPherson owns a local towing company, A-1 Quality Service, which helps the UHP clear out these crashes. He said impatient drivers don’t help.

“It’s scary out there. I mean, they don’t slow down, they don’t get over,” McPherson said.

To avoid a crash, troopers said one of the best things you can do is leave early when the roads are clear.

“Try to spread that volume of traffic out, so if you get up a little bit earlier you’re not in the main packs that are traveling in those same times. It helps,” Houskeeper said.

Troopers also said a few other things you can do is don’t speed and make sure your tires are good before you leave for the house. With our storm coming in, you may need them.

Related: TSA’s tips for holiday travel