Drivers warned about icy roads on Friday morning; accidents reported
Drivers have been warned to be weary of icy roads on Friday morning. The rain in combination with the freezing temperatures has already led to a few accidents, the AD reported. At least two incidents of cars going off the road on Friday morning have been reported.
The first incident occurred at 7 a.m. when a car went off the N356 in De Valom, Friesland. The driver was seriously injured, and the car ended up head-first in the water. A car also ended up in the water in Wervershoof, Noord-Holland. The driver and a dog that was in the car just about got out on time.
Gritter trucks from infrastructure agency Rijkswaterstaat spread over 3.1 million kilograms of salt on Dutch highways and national roads starting at about 7 p.m. on Thursday. The trucks drove nearly 45,000 kilometers in 14 hours in anticipation of the adverse conditions.
So far this season, nearly 17.3 million kilograms of salt have been dumped on the roadways by a total of 1,500 workers. They operate the agency’s 577 gritter trucks and salt storage facilities, as well as about 630 snow plows.
The company that is responsible for the maintenance of the roads handed out tips to drivers on X. “‘Are you going out? Then keep extra distance from the vehicle in front of you and adjust your speed if necessary. Did you encounter our gritting vehicles on the road? Then give them space so they can do their job.” The KNMI weather station has not issued a code yellow for today.
The slippery roads will disappear late in the morning. Temperatures will rise to 3 to 5 degrees Celsius. It will be freezing on Friday evening, which is likely to result in more slippy roads on Saturday morning.
