Authorities ask drivers to slow down and use caution

TIPPECANOE COUNTY, Ind. (WLFI) - Snow, sleet, and freezing rain made conditions less than ideal for drivers on the roads Thursday night.

With a handful of slide-offs reported in West Lafayette and on I-65, authorities remind drivers, in these conditions, be sure to plan ahead.

When asked about what drivers should do in brutal winter conditions, local law enforcement officers gave the same immediate response.

"When the roads are slick, you need to slow it down," said Sgt. Kim Riley with the Indiana State Police.

"Drivers need to slow down, give adequate time to stop," explained Sgt. Len Halascsak from the Tippecanoe County Sheriff's Office.

It's some good advice for when you're out on the roads.

But authorities said you should prepare for the dangerous roads before you even get behind the wheel.

"Make sure your cell phone's charged, make sure it's fully charged, make sure you've got the charger. If you've got the car charger, make sure you've got, at least, a half a tank of gas or more in your car in case you get stranded," Riley explained.

For the morning commuters, it may be best to plan ahead the night before.

"Set that alarm an hour early to make sure, if you've got to get somewhere, that you get there on time. But if you wait and go at your normal time and try to drive the normal speed, you're not going to get there. You're going to be seeing me and a tow truck, and probably a crash investigation," Riley said.

Make sure an investigation of someone else's crash doesn't distract you and cause you to have one of your own.

"If you're the driver, make sure you're paying attention to the traffic that you're in and not what's happening with the emergency vehicles because we have a lot of secondary crashes in situations like that," Halascsak said.

Authorities said snow plows and salt trucks will be out in full force. They advise drivers to keep their distance from those trucks and let them do their job to make the roads safer.

The roads are expected to be slick and covered with sleet Friday morning. News 18 Daybreak will have continuing live coverage on the weather and the road conditions.