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Police Warn Anchorage Drivers of Slick Roads After First Snowfall

October 31, 2011|By Christine Kim | Channel 2 News

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The Anchorage Police Department is warning motorists to drive carefully and be prepared after the first snowfall of the year, and the slick conditions on the roads that follow.

Anchorage Police said that since snow first fell Sunday to Monday morning, there have been 122 accidents, 10 accidents involving injuries, and 66 reports of vehicles in distress.

The city's street maintenance manager said it brought out its plows late Sunday night to clear the roads, and will have its operators working around the clock to sand the roads throughout town. The city said there were 20 requests to sand the roads Monday, which is less than anticipated.

“Right now we're running sanders with sand treated with magnesium chloride to help it stick a little bit better,” said Paul Vanlandingham, the General Foreman of the Municipality of Anchorage’s Street Maintenance Section.

Meanwhile, tire service businesses felt the last minute rush from drivers coming in to put on studded tires.

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Johnson's Tire Service said workers have switched out a couple thousand tires since it first snowed on Sunday, and said the wait to get tires swapped out is now a day. 

APD said preparing your vehicle for winter is just one way to be safe on the slick roads.

“Speed is going to be almost always a factor. Reduce your speed and increase the distance between you and the person in front of you,” said APD Spokeswoman Anita Shell. “That's probably the two key elements to avoid an accident.”

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