Montanans Share Their Most Frightening Winter Driving Stories
Winter in Montana is no joke. Personally, I've had a lot of close calls and near-death experiences. Slick, icy roads can be extremely treacherous and you can lose control of your vehicle in an instant. One wrong move can be deadly.
During the winter in Montana, law enforcement and emergency crews work around the clock to respond to accidents on roads and highways throughout Montana. When roads are icy, slow down and give yourself extra time to reach your destination.
As I mentioned, I've had some scary white knuckle moments while driving in the snow in Montana. I commute from Manhattan to Bozeman for work and that stretch of I-90 can be a doozy, especially if you get stuck behind a line of semis. It can result in blinding conditions and oftentimes you can even see the lines on the road. I've also had a deer run headfirst into the rear door of my car during a blizzard.
If you're new to Montana and driving in the snow, the best advice we can give is to slow down. Slick roads and high speeds don't mix.
We posted on the Bozeman Reddit page and asked fellow Montanans to share their craziest winter driving stories. Here are a few of the stories that gave us chills.
I went to pass a semi on a curve and it hit a big pile of slush and covered my whole windshield. Just then I hit a patch of ice, skidded, spun, and rolled off the highway. Took out a fence and a bunch of dogwoods. Came to a rest on the driver's side. Don’t [expletive] around near semi-trucks and for the love of all that is good and pure SLOW THE HELL DOWN. you do not need to get anywhere that fast, period.
said CannaBDSM on the Bozeman Reddit page.
Winter driving in Montana can be dangerous. Sadly, many accidents during the winter are fatal. Humaniteer shared the following story on Reddit
There's a turn on 191 through Gallatin Canyon, near Rockhaven. I was driving from Big Sky to Bozeman once, at around 5ish, in the mid-2000s. I am 3 or 4 cars behind a Williams Plumbing vehicle, and it was icy and slick. Everyone in the northbound lane was driving slow and carefully. Out of nowhere, comes a van in the southbound lane, drifts into the Williams vehicle, and smashes head-on, killing 5 people. There are now 5 crosses in that spot on the highway. I wonder often how it could have been if I left just 10 seconds earlier than I did. 10 seconds is like enough to look for your keys in your pockets or say a sentence or two extra in a conversation, or something like that. If I had been in place of the Williams vehicle, I would have died, as the driver's side was obliterated. All 4 in the other van died.
Some of the stories that were shared on Reddit were difficult to read. Please slow down and make sure you're prepared before hitting the road this winter. Accidents happen, but many are preventable. Click here to read more of the stories on the Bozeman Reddit page.
H/T: Bozeman Reddit
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