ALPENA — With the winter season in full swing, the Alpena Police Department and the Alpena County Sheriff’s Office have advice for drivers to follow to avoid car crashes.

According to Alpena Police Chief Eric Hamp, a large factor that results in collisions during the winter is a result of drivers’ poor speed regulation and spacing.

“The biggest thing that we see with wintertime driving, in a lot of the accidents we investigate, is that motorists need to slow down and leave extra space in between themselves and another vehicle,” said Hamp. “If those two things were to happen, a majority of accidents that we handle in the wintertime due to road conditions would not occur.”

Additionally, Hamp states that drivers should be aware of having the car’s headlights on during intense snowfall to assist them with visibility.

“When it’s snowing it is very helpful for drivers to make sure that they’re turning their headlights on,” said Hamp. “Often drivers have them set to automatic but because it can potentially be light out, and that’s what triggers those headlights to turn on, the headlights may not be on even though they should be.”

Alpena County Sheriff Erik Smith echoes these opinions with additional emphasis on drivers adjusting their approach to match the conditions outside.

“You have to slow down for the weather conditions you are driving in,” said Smith. “If you’re able to drive 55 to 60 miles an hour, on a nice clear dry day, then you have ice and snow, you have to severely reduce your speed.”

Hamp and Smith are also clear that these rules apply just as much to law enforcement officers when they are responding to emergency calls as it does to the public.

“The safety tips that I shared earlier, apply to the officers as well,” said Hamp. “We need to make sure that we’re leaving enough space between us and other vehicles, we also need to slow down this time of year, depending on the road conditions, because it doesn’t do anybody any good if we end up in a crash with someone when responding to a call for service.”