Way to go, Kamloops drivers — you know how to drive in the snow

KAMLOOPS – Hey Kamloops drivers, give yourselves a pat on the back — you got through yesterday's dump of snow with barely a handful of accidents.

The city and the surrounding area got 10 to 20 centimetres of snow yesterday, Dec. 19, and even more fell on area highways but unlike other recent snow storms, Kamloopsians kept their heads.

Kamloops Fire Rescue Platoon Capt. Jim Gorman says crews responded to six collisions yesterday and three so far today. It's a far cry from the first snowfall of the season at the beginning of November, when fire crews responded to 21 calls on the first day of snowfall.

Although the number of responses from fire crews was relatively low, it doesn't account for minor accidents that didn't warrant first responders.

Kamloops RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Jodi Shelkie said in a news release yesterday that officers were busy responding to motor vehicle incident calls outside of the city, and warned drivers to slow down due to the treacherous conditions.

The majority of the arterial roads in Kamloops were well-maintained throughout the snow storm, but side streets remain icy and packed with snow today.

According to numbers from ICBC, 19 people died as a result of car crashes that were caused by driving too fast for conditions in the Southern Interior last year.

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