Friday afternoon’s snow caused nine accidents in Peterborough, but there were no injuries, Police Chief Scott Guinard said on Monday.
He said the crashes occurred from 1:30 p.m through 7:35 p.m., and one woman was transported to the hospital for evaluation, which Guinard said was a precaution because she was pregnant.
“The road conditions were terrible,” he said.
Guinard said the police continue to enforce “Jessica’s Law, ” which requires drivers to remove snow and ice from their vehicles. It is named for Jessica Smith, who was killed in a motor vehicle after a sheet of ice flew off a truck in Peterborough on Jan. 5, 1999.
“I was one of the investigating officers on that fatality,” Guinard said.
He said he’s noticed improvements in motorists’ awareness over the interim 20 years “with most people, but not everybody.”
“We’ve stopped a number of vehicles since the first storm,” he said, and officers have issued warnings and citations, the severity of which are based on the amount of snow on the vehicle, any previous violations related to snow clearing, and officer discretion.
“It is a hazard in a number of ways,” he said.
Snow and ice can hit other vehicles. Even light, fluffy snow can pose a hazard, he said, when it blinds other drivers when it blows off the roof of a vehicle.
“Clearing off windows and lamps is just as important,” Guinard said, in order to see clearly from inside the vehicle as well as for other motorists to anticipate a brake or a turn.
“The driver has no way of determining what you’re doing” if a taillight is covered with snow, he said.