How to avoid an accident in a "whiteout"

Although there are no guarantees, Morgan School of Driving instructor Larry Scott says there are some things you can do to avoid an accident in “whiteout” conditions. “The big key to most situations has to do with speed and visibility. In other words you can’t hit another car if there isn’t one near you,” said Scott.

On Sunday, blinding snow and wind caused a 36 car pile up on Interstate 390 near the airport. A 17-year-old girl was killed in the accident. Scott says when weather conditions start to deteriorate, the best thing you can do is slow down. “In a situation where you have limited visibility you have to bring your speed down to a point where you can stop in the space that you see. In other words, if you can only see 25-feet in front of your car, you have to be able to stop within 25-feet,” said Scott.

Scott also says when things get really bad avoid the temptation to stop. “If there's more than one car there, someone is not going to stop. So if you stop your going to get hit,” added Scott.

Roads on Sunday were slick with ice and snow. Scott offers advice on how to recover from a slide. “Steer in the direction you want the car to go. Ease up on the gas or brake or whatever is causing your skid or slide and steer in the direction you want the car to go,” said Scott.