The forecast for the weekend, and the beginning of next week, is calling for daytime highs to be above freezing, which will see a bit of a thaw happening in the sunshine. Then, in the evenings and overnights, temperatures are expected to fall back down below freezing.
The freeze/thaw cycle can create some less-than-ideal driving conditions on the highways, which has the Officer in Charge of Traffic Services for the Saskatchewan RCMP, Superintendent Grant St. Germaine, providing some reminders for motorists.
The superintendent said speed is often a factor in many collisions.
"On Friday, I happened to pull a young fellow over doing 175," St. Germaine explained. "Roads were dry, but the problem is when you're exceeding the speed, especially at that rate, if you have a tire that blows out, if you just have a momentary loss of paying attention at those faster speeds, your reaction and ability to react in time to save yourself from an accident, if just isn't there."
Reaction time isn't the only concern that comes up when you are driving at a higher speed. The ability to come to a complete stop is also impacted, particularly in less-than-ideal conditions.
"If the roads are icy or snow-covered, cut the speed back," St. Germaine added. "The fact that you're driving a four-wheel drive and the roads are ice-covered and snow-covered, yes, you might have traction, but you still can't stop."
He emphasized drivers should pay attention to road conditions and pay attention to speed as the two most important things for drivers to keep in mind on the highways.