SALT LAKE City — A dust storm developed very low visibility driving conditions, which led to Sunday’s 22-auto pileup on I-15 in Millard County that took the lifestyle of eight folks.
The Utah Freeway Patrol explained dust storms like Sunday’s are not incredibly prevalent in the state, but small visibility driving conditions can transpire year-round.
“You know, it can be not a little something that happens each and every day. We do have incidences wherever we have very similar situations whether or not it be fog or heavy rain, or you will find moments where by we have fires in the location and we have smoke drifting across the freeway,” stated Sgt. Cameron Roden with UHP. “They are circumstances that we run into from time to time, but it can be not something that transpires commonly.”
Study: Utah loved ones loses 5, like 3 small children, in I-15 crash
Roden claimed the greatest detail to do in small visibility problems is to lower your speed.
“Speed is often a factor when it arrives to visibility, due to the fact if you might be going fast and won’t be able to see, most very likely if there is heading to be some variety of hazard you are heading to operate into challenges,” he added. “So, we counsel that men and women undoubtedly slow down.”
Drivers in Sunday’s fatal pileup reported these kinds of undesirable visibility, they couldn’t see stopped targeted visitors till it was much too late.
“In the course of the investigation, which is what we’re viewing is the visibility was just so lousy that that is what led to the chain response crash,” Roden mentioned.
Read: Weather conditions phenomenon guiding deadly I-15 accidents
In accordance to Roden, the ideal-circumstance circumstance is to steer clear of the possibility entirely by pulling off the street if achievable.
“If you do have to prevent for the reason that you just can not see we want you to get nicely off the road so that we never have cars coming up guiding you and hitting you,” he extra.
But when roads are restricted and there is certainly not a whole lot of room on the shoulder, Roden claimed it may perhaps be best to go on on at a minimal pace.
“Often stopping on the shoulder is just not a actual risk-free option either,” he said. “Due to the fact they may possibly be making an attempt to swerve and not see you right until the final next there either.”
If you do pull onto the shoulder, he reported to fork out notice to dry grass and other gasoline that could simply spark a wildfire with how dry ailments are statewide this summertime.
“So, if you have to continue as a result of it, just do it at a velocity that is only harmless that you can respond to those people dangers,” Roden added. “So, if it can be heading really slow, then at the very least if there is a crash that collision is going to be at lower pace which is going to decrease injury.”
