Wisconsin State Patrol advises motorists to stay inside their vehicles if at all possible after a wintertime crash or sliding off the road.

For the City-Times

Video footage of a massive crash near Germantown (www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHC27viPYtA) on Sunday, December 8, clearly shows the dangers of wintertime driving in Wisconsin. Although immense chain-reaction pile-ups are still quite rare, other single- and multiple-vehicle crashes as well as slide-offs are all too common this time of year.

To protect themselves after their vehicle has crashed or slid off a road, drivers and passengers are advised to stay inside their vehicles if at all possible, according to the Wisconsin State Patrol.

“If you are outside your vehicle, you have little or no protection against vehicles that can easily slide out of control on slippery roads. Your vehicle provides protection if you remain inside it with your safety belt fastened,” said David Pabst, director of the State Patrol Bureau of Transportation Safety. “Unless you absolutely have to get out of your vehicle for an emergency, stay inside it, buckle up, call 911 on a cell phone or wait for a law enforcement officer to arrive.”

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s web site (www.dot.wisconsin.gov/safety/motorist/winterdriving/stranded.htm) offers other common-sense suggestions in case you crash or are stranded in wintertime.