WYTHEVILLE, Va. – Update:
Virginia State Police is reporting several more crashes overnight following a winter storm that hit Virginia starting on Sunday.
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Here’s a look at crashes they responded to from midnight to 4 a.m.
- Div 1 (Richmond) - Two crashes
- Div 2 (Culpeper - NWVA) - One crash
- Div 3 (Appomattox - Central/West Va.) - Two crashes
- Div. 4 (Wytheville - SWVA) - One crash
- Div. 5 (Chesapeake - Hampton Roads) - Two crashes, one with reported injuries
- Div. 6 (Salem - Western Va.) - Two crashes
- Div 7 (NOVA) - Four crashes, one with reported injuries.
Update:
Virginia State Police is still working to respond to crashes across the Commonwealth as winter weather continues.
Here’s a breakdown of crashes that happened between 4 p.m. and 9:30 p.m:
Div 1. (Richmond) — Virginia State Police have responded to six crashes
Div 2 (Culpeper - NWVa) - VSP has responded to five crashes.
Div 3 (Appomattox Central/West Va.) - VSP has responded to seven crashes
Div 4 (Wytheville - SWVA) - VSP has responded to four crashes
Div. 5 (Chesapeake - Hampton Roads) - VSP has responded to 14 crashes, one with reported injuries.
Div 6 (Salem - Western Va.) - VSP has responded to three crashes
Div. 7 (NOVA) - VSP has responded to 13 crashes, four with reported injuries.
Update:
Virginia State Police is still working to respond to crashes across the Commonwealth as winter weather continues.
Here’s a breakdown of crashes that happened between 4 a.m. and 11 a.m.:
- Div 1. (Richmond) - 96 crashes, four with reported injuries.
- Div 2. (Culpeper - NWVA) - 33 crashes, one with reported injuries
- Div 3. (Appomattox - Central/West Va.) - 22 crashes, one with reported injuries.
- Div 4 (Wytheville - SWVA) - 11 crashes, none with reported injuries.
- Div. 5 (Hampton Roads) - 22 crashes, six with reported injuries.
- Div. 6 (Salem - Western Va.) - 31 crashes, four with reported injuries.
- Div. 7 (NOVA) - 33 crashes, three with reported injuries.
Update:
Virginia State Police responded to 181 crashes statewide overnight, 20 of which resulted in injuries.
Here’s a breakdown of crashes that happened between midnight and 4 a.m.:
- Div.1 (Richmond): Thirteen crashes, one with reported injuries
- Div. 2 (Culpeper - NW Va.): Fifteen crashes, none with reported injuries
- Div.3 (Appomattox - Central/West Va.): Three crashes, none with reported injuries
- Div. 4 (Wytheville - SW Va.): Five crashes, none with reported injuries
- Div. 5 (Chesapeake - Hampton Roads): Six crashes, two with reported injuries. There is also a reported fatal crash VSP is investigating, however, at this time it’s unclear if it’s storm-related
- Div 6 (Salem - Western Va.): Two crashes, none with reported injuries
- Div. 7 (NOVA): Eight crashes, none with reported injuries
VSP continues to warn people not to travel during the storm. But if you have to travel, here are several safety tips authorities provided:
- Use headlights. Increasing your visibility helps you to avoid slick and dangerous spots on the road, as well as helps other drivers see you better.
- Slow your speed. Though state police work closely with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) to identify problem areas on Virginia’s highways during a winter storm, drivers still must drive for conditions. Slowing your speed gives you more time to safely react and avoid a crash. Drive your vehicle based on your ability to properly maintain control of your vehicle.
- Don’t tailgate. You need increased stopping distance on slick road surfaces. Give yourself more space between vehicles traveling ahead of you to avoid rear-end collisions.
- Wear your seat belt to protect you from being thrown around the inside of your vehicle and suffering serious injury in a crash
- Make sure your vehicle is in good working order for the conditions. Fill up the tank in advance. Check windshield wipers, windshield wiper fluid, tire tread, battery life, etc.
- Don’t leave home without a window scraper, blanket, bottled water, snack, cell phone charger and flashlight
Update:
Virginia State Police have released an update on crashes that have occurred between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Sunday.
Wytheville: Eight crashes, three with reported injuries.
Salem: 47 crashes, five with reported injuries.
Original Story:
VSP said that they had investigated 85 crashes in their Wytheville District and 51 in their Salem District. seven of those crashes have resulted in injury.
Virginia State Police continue to ask Virginians to follow VDOT’s recommendation, and drive around the storm, not during it. If you have to drive during the storm:
- Use headlights. Increasing your visibility helps you to avoid slick and dangerous spots on the road, as well as helps other drivers see you better.
- Slow your speed. Though state police works closely with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) to identify problem areas on Virginia’s highways during a winter storm, drivers still must drive for conditions. Slowing your speed gives you more time to safely react and avoid a crash. Drive your vehicle based on your ability to properly maintain control of your vehicle.
- Don’t tailgate. You need increased stopping distance on slick road surfaces. Give yourself more space between vehicles traveling ahead of you to avoid rear-end collisions.
- Buckle Up. Most crashes that occur during winter weather are caused by vehicles sliding into guardrails, off the road or other vehicles. Wearing your seat belt protects you from being thrown around the inside of your vehicle and suffering serious injury in a crash.
- Check Your Vehicle. Make sure your vehicle is in good working order for the conditions. Fill up the tank in advance. Check windshield wipers, windshield wiper fluid, tire tread, battery life, etc.
- Don’t leave home without a window scraper, blanket, bottled water, snack, cell phone charger and flashlight.
