Montana Highways: 7 Crashes/Hour in the Last 34 Hours
Snow, ice, and wind have been a disaster for Montana road conditions since Tuesday morning. The entire state has been affected by harsh driving conditions and the first responders have been VERY busy.
Unfortunately, the weather for Wednesday will probably continue to be 'unpleasant' at best. Very gusty winds are causing low visibility on open roads, and ground blizzards with the snow that has already fallen. Some parts of Montana are still expected to receive a few inches of snow by Wednesday evening.
HOW DID WE DO THE MATH? 244 CRASH INCIDENTS/30 HOURS = 7.176 CRASHES PER HOUR ON MONTANA HIGHWAYS
We included all of Tuesday, November 8th and the first 10 hours of Wednesday, November 9th, 2022 to get this particular statistic. It's definitely sobering. The stats came directly from the Montana Highway Patrol crash logs and the Department of Justice.
Check the Montana Department of Transportation highway cameras before you travel. We all know conditions can change quickly, but during inclement weather it's absolutely worth checking the MDT cameras along your route.
PassWarrior is a very well liked and easy to use app that gives real-time info on our Montana roads. The MDT 511 app is not as highly rated and ironically doesn't seem to update as often. Having a good app on your phone can be a valuable part of your safety kit.
If you can avoid being on the open roads today, stay home. The gusty winds are really creating some dangerous conditions. Turn on those headlights, give everyone plenty of space and know that semi-trucks can't see very well in these conditions.