1 cm of Snow = 46 Car Crashes

It would have been funny if it was not sad. As on January 4, 2011 the Weather Network reported 1 cm of snow accumulation , police reported 46 car crashes due to the weather conditions during morning traffic hours.

Who is there to blame? According to all involved, it's City of Ottawa negligently lacking on adding enough salt on the pavement to melt all the precipitation away. People on TV and in the papers complained about salt trucks being slow on moving snow off the roads. This is how one driver described his experience to Ottawa Citizen:

"My tires were spinning like mad. I could tell there was no salt on the road. I had no doubt about why I kept hearing about people crashing. I was just thinking, 'Geez, this is unbelievable. The roads aren't even salted."

If your tires are spinning like mad, my friend, your should buy yourself good winter tires. There is also public transit for those unwilling to invest in their own safety. 1 cm of snow should not even slow down the traffic, leave alone 46 crashes.

That same morning my wife went shopping in her Caliber equipped with Michelin X-Ice tires.

"Any problem on the road?" - I asked her after she has returned.
She said "No", and never complained about City trucks.

Read full report  Transportation ministry denies response slow after Otttawa highways littered with wrecks during morning rush in Ottawa Citizen.