With freezing rain paving the roads with ice, OPP reported over 40 vehicle collisions around London Thursday morning, and say there are likely to be more.
The madness started around 5 a.m. when the West Region OPP tweeted about multiple crashes along Highway 401 between Dutton and London.
One of the accidents was on the 401 near Wonderland Road and involved a school bus full of adults who were heading to work, confirmed Derek Rogers, Regional Media Relations Coordinator for the OPP West Region. He said there were several injuries, but none were life threatening.
Another major roadway was blocked by a transport truck that jackknifed on Highbury Avenue, community residents shared over social media:
I’m stuck on highbury. Looks like a pile up. Truck jackknifed into the ditch. pic.twitter.com/zMQhdMw3pL
— RRated (@RRated__) December 15, 2022
Rogers says that around 9 a.m. Thursday, at least seven tractor trailers had jackknifed in the London area.
Although the freezing rain warning was called off just before 11 a.m. on Thursday, drivers should remain cautious as precipitation and cold temperatures will persist throughout the evening.
While the road conditions brought on by winter weather are not ideal, Rogers says that bad driving habits are a common denominator in most collisions.
“Your behavior behind the wheel really dictates the outcome,” he said. “A couple things you can do to make sure [accidents don’t happen] would be to slow down, pay attention to your driving, be in control, and give yourself a lot of room between yourself and the vehicle in front of you in case you need to stop suddenly.”
