Winter driving season in Colorado officially begins

SUMMIT COUNTY, Colo. It's that time of year when it can be dry and sunny in the Denver metro but snowy and slick an hour west. The first taste of winter weather moved in Monday morning a warning of what's to come in the mountains and lower elevations.

It didn't take a strong storm to make a big mess on Interstate 70 and Loveland Pass. Winter weather caused semi-trucks to either slide off or block the roadway. Non-commercial vehicles were also seen flipped upside down.

"The main contributing factor to most of our crashes are A, speed, then probably, B, following too closely," said Charlie Stubblefield, owner of Mountain Recovery, a heavy and light-duty tow service.

Mountain Recovery started receiving calls for help around 3 a.m. Monday.

"The winter weather in the mountains changes instantly. You go from wet roads then all of a sudden, boom, eight inches of snow. For early season storms, it's tough because people are unprepared," said Stubblefield.

The slick roads stayed in the mountains on Monday, but it won't be too long before drivers across the metro have to deal with them, too.

"It's Colorado. We get snow every month but like July and August," said Jen Rockefeller with Drive Safe Driving School.

Rockefeller said it's never too early to prepare for winter driving.

"Number one make sure you stay on the road, and you're going to stay on the road with adequate tires," she said. "Know what we should be doing and should not be doing. We should not be putting our foot on the brake if we go into a slide, it's going to make it worse."

Drive Safe offers a defensive skills driving program where drivers can practice steering out of a skid in their own car.

Stubblefield has more advice for those traveling to the high country as the season changes.

"Be prepared to sit in a traffic queue as crashes get cleaned up and closures happen. Have water, have some snacks, all that kind of stuff. I always keep a bunch of water, a bunch of granola bars in my truck ready to go. [Also] jackets, hats, all that kind of thing. Be prepared to just kind of be out there. Prepare for the worst," he said.

Link to original article