DES MOINES – Local 5’s Jacob Peklo is in Des Moines tonight after riding along with an Iowa State Patrol Officer during this busy time.
On the way back to the station earlier, I saw a number of cars that had skidded off the road, with at least a half dozen semis off on the shoulder.
Trooper Brady Clary, Iowa State Patrol: “You just gotta start driving for the conditions.”
The Iowa State Patrol is ready for the weather to take a turn like this. “People take the corners too fast. It’s all a recipe for disaster,” said Clary. “We’d like to think that our being out here deters people from driving recklessly, but it so often happens where we’re not.”
He says even a minor downturn should mean everyone slows down. But you don’t want to do it too fast either. Clary says “your tires have to be turning in order for them to get traction.”
Something to remember is if you see a car go speeding past a State Patroller in these conditions, they usually don’t go after them. Trooper Clary says that’s because they usually spin out a little ways down the road.