Sunday afternoon’s series of collisions on Highway 400 through Barrie and Innisfil resulted in no major injuries, but provincial police say it's a prime example of why motorists need to drive according to weather conditions.
OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt said two people were sent to hospital with minor injuries, but there's no word on whether any charges will be laid.
“I spoke with an officer at the scene and he told me that yes, the roads were wet and the temperature was freezing, but the roads were not a sheet of ice,” Schmidt said Monday. “The roads had been salted and while they were wet, it was -12, so you can’t drive like it's a summer rain. You’re still going to have longer stopping distances.”
The chain of events, which happened in the southbound lanes around 1 p.m., saw around 10 vehicles in an initial collision and about a dozen crashes between Mapleview Drive and Innisfil Beach Road after that.
Schmidt reminded drivers to always pay attention to conditions.
And in the Barrie area, there are also other factors at play, said the sergeant.
“That stretch of highway is subject to the prevailing winds off of Georgian Bay and that area of open field doesn’t help. You see the same in Collingwood and Mount St. Louis sees the same thing," Schmidt said. "The moisture comes off the lake and, in some cases, ends up on the roads thereby making them slick.
“The wind from an open field sometimes adds to the conditions with a blinding snow.”
