Winter weather causes numerous crashes

Winter driving conditions led to numerous wrecks in the Sisters area and throughout Central Oregon -- but, according to Oregon State Police, there were no major injuries to report.

OSP Sgt. Eric Brown said officers have seen many motorists who simply are not prepared for wintertime driving conditions.

On Sunday, November 2, at 9 a.m. a motorist driving a four-wheel-drive SUV lost control on the ice on Highway 20 just west of the Indian Ford intersection. The vehicle went off the road, striking a large tree and probably totaling the vehicle, OSP reported. Air bags, lap/shoulder belts and the proper use of child safety seats kept the occupants safe, Brown said.

Another wreck occurred west of Sisters shortly after noon on Sunday.

According to OSP reports, a four-wheel-drive SUV lost control on Highway 20 just west of the Camp Sherman junction. The westbound vehicle crossed the oncoming lane and came to rest partially in the eastbound lane.

An eastbound vehicle crested the hill, was unable to stop, and struck the stopped vehicle, OSP reported.

Traffic was backed up due to this crash and a four-wheel- drive pickup, which was westbound to the east of this scene, rear-ended a passenger car.

At the same time that these incidents were being handled, a Madras Trooper was investigating a single vehicle rollover on U.S. 97 near milepost 106. A Chevrolet Suburban was southbound when the driver lost control on the snow pack, went into the ditch and rolled.

At 3:25 p.m., Sunday, a southbound motorist on U.S. 97 just north of Bend lost control of his vehicle sliding into the oncoming lanes striking the driver's side of a northbound vehicle. Both vehicles came to rest after sliding into the east ditch.

State police reported that patrols have also been kept busy with several minor crashes and vehicles sliding off the road in the Santiam Pass area on Highway 20.

Troopers say the most common mistakes seen this weekend have been motorists driving outside their abilities.

"A simple downshifting of gears, touch of the brakes, or minor acceleration can easily cause a vehicle to break traction and then the driver overreacts and completely loses control," said Sgt. Brown. "We have also seen a lot of motorists on the Santiam Pass driving until they spin out and then end up in a poor location trying to put on tire chains. That simply is not a smart thing to do."

Motorists are urged to take the necessary precautions for wintertime driving:

• Understand what your abilities are regarding wintertime driving.

• Utilize proper snow tires.

• If driving over mountain passes, carry tire chains and know how to use them before you need to put them on.

• Have warm clothing in the car so you can put it on if needing to chain up.