A reminder to Western Washington: Rain makes driving dangerous
Sep 18, 2019, 12:11 PM
A semi-truck crashed on southbound I-5 near SR18 on a rainy morning commute. (Washington State Patrol)
(Washington State Patrol)
If you don’t think you need this reminder, well, good for you. But apparently, a lot of drivers still need to be told. So just in case you forgot over the few months with little rain in the Northwest — rain makes driving more difficult, even dangerous.
The Olympian reports that there were a dozen car crashes between 5 a.m. and noon Tuesday on Olympia-area roads. One of the more serious collisions involved three vehicles and sent two people to the hospital, along with a dog to the pet ER.
The incidents happened during a rain event that ultimately dropped an inch of rain in parts of Western Washington. The region has already seen more than double the amount of rain expected for this time of year.
Another blustery morning out there 🌧️ A few reminders before you head out the door…
🔸Slow down.
🔸Leave extra following distance.
🔸Make sure your headlights are on.
🔸Check #TravelTimes before you go: https://t.co/Fh3UVnL4sY
🔸Drive safe. pic.twitter.com/Ax0pOtkfAy— WSDOT Traffic (@wsdot_traffic) September 18, 2019
While Olympia was facing its own slew of rainy day car collisions Tuesday morning, Washington State Trooper Rick Johnson sent out another caution about the wet roads in King County. This was prompted by a semi-truck crash on southbound I-5 near SR-18.
After another rainy day in Western Washington on Sept. 15, Trooper Johnson reported that the Washington State Patrol responded to more than 60 collisions in King County.
In short, slow down, increase your traveling distance with other vehicles, and turn on your headlights.
A little — or a lot — of rain can be misleading. It can be more difficult to see hazards or stop suddenly, unlike snow, which is expected to be slippery when cars attempt to roll across an icy road. Consider that the Washington State Patrol responded to 185 car crashes within 24 hours in Snohomish, Skagit, Island, and Whatcom Counties during a February 2018 snow event. There were 110 crashes in Pierce and Thurston Counties during that same time.
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