Icy roads, foggy conditions hinder West Tenn. drivers
WEAKLEY COUNTY, Tenn. — People were still battling some icy conditions Monday morning in parts of West Tennessee along with a dense fog that could be staying around for a few days according to our VIPIR 7 Storm Team.
Traffic moved slowly in Weakley County Monday morning through the dense fog on the main highways, but some areas are still under the weather.
“Most of the roads are clearing up nicely. A lot of the bridges and overpasses that are not associated with the state highways don’t have a lot of ice on those,” Weakley County EMA Director Jamison Peevyhouse said. “We had a lot of fog this morning. It is above freezing, but we think that may not be helping it thaw as quickly as we would hope.”
For many drivers, leaving home was the hardest part of their commute.
“My car was a solid sheet of ice,” Union City resident Bobbi Voucher said.”This morning when I was leaving, I kind of slid down the back of my driveway.”
Officials say there are a couple of things you can do if you hit a patch of ice while driving:
1. Let off your brakes. The best thing to do is to slowly take your foot off the accelerator.
2. Steer into the direction you are sliding. Turn your wheels in the direction that the rear of your car is sliding. It helps to look with your eyes where you want the car to go, and turn the steering wheel in that direction. It is easy to steer too far, causing the car to slide in the other direction.
Officials with the Tennessee Highway Patrol said there were two fatal crashes in West Tennessee this weekend due to icy weather, and they are asking drivers to be mindful of the unseen dangers.
“We are asking motorists to kind of slow down a little bit, take your time in the fog and know when you are approaching a bridge it is probably going to be slick,” Peevyhouse said. “We are expecting the roads to clear off by tonight. The temperatures should rise to about 40, and as soon as the fog clears off we hope some of these bridges will clear off pretty quickly.”
