Get ready to see more vehicle crashes on the roadway

CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee(WDEF) – Recent rain may have contributed to numerous vehicle crashes but it’s only going to get worse as we transition from the fall to winter season.

According to the Tennessee Department of Safety statistics, more crashes happen during the winter months than at any other time of the year.

Tennessee Highway Patrol Sergeant Allen Bailey said the spike in crashes comes as no surprise because more drivers here in the deep South are not accustomed to wintry road conditions normally seen up North.

"Then you add that with an inexperienced drivers or young drivers or elderly drivers and it just creates catastrophe," Bailey said.

Most of these catastrophes that can be avoided.

"A lot of times people drive 60-miles an hour when it’s raining or snowing. Slow down and watch for other drivers and drive defensively," Bailey said.

Motorist are also advised to make sure they have good tires on their vehicle.

"It helps you from hydroplaning. It helps you in the snow," said Quality Tire Shop Owner Tom Eberle.

Tires with little to no tread makes it easy for a vehicle to hydroplane when roadways are slick. Insufficient tread also makes is more difficult for vehicles to stop in snowy conditions.

One of the biggest arguments by tire experts is that people often get on the road this time of year with unsafe tires.

"I had a customer in here yesterday who had driven in from South Carolina and had a flat tire. We took it off and there was no tread on it. He ended up buying four tires. He left town and didn’t even know he had bad tires," Eberle said.

It’s also worth noting that when nasty weather causes accidents, it also slows down first responders who are racing to the scene of a crash. So crash victims should anticipate response times to be a little longer.