ST. GEORGE — Utah Highway Patrol troopers responded to a couple weather-related incidents on northbound Interstate-15 early Monday morning, prompting them to issue a warning about best driving practices in inclement weather.
UHP Sgt. Jake Hicks told St. George News that at approximately 7:50 a.m., a woman driving a black Chevrolet pickup truck lost control of her vehicle around milepost 29 on northbound I-15, approximately 2 miles north of the Toquerville exit.
The roads had some snow and slush, Hicks said, adding that it was enough that the driver should have slowed down.
The driver of the vehicle slid, hit an embankment and tipped the vehicle onto the driver’s side.
Emergency personnel from Hurricane Valley Fire also responded to the scene and were able to extricate the driver by breaking through the back window, Hicks said.
The driver was wearing a seatbelt and was uninjured.
While Hicks said the incident was weather related, it was primarily driver error.
The driver reported she was going the speed limit, which is 80 mph, he said, but he added that the speed limit is based upon best conditions.
“If it is not the best conditions, you’ve got to slow down,” Hicks said.
The driver was also using her cruise control, which Hicks said is not advisable in inclement weather.
Hicks said there are three things they advise for safety in inclement weather: Slow down, don’t use cruise control and wear a seatbelt.
What the driver did right was use her seatbelt, Hicks said, adding that she could have otherwise been seriously injured.
The Utah Department of Transportation Incident Management Team also responded to the accident.
Earlier in the morning, a semitractor-trailer traveling northbound on I-15 slid off the road in the area of milepost 37 near the top of the Black Ridge. The driver was uninjured and traffic was not impacted, Hicks said.
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