As weather changes, so do the road conditions. The autumn leaves are a staple of the season and can create hazardous conditions on the roadway. When leaves accumulate on the roadway and become wet, they can get extremely slippery, making the driving conditions similar to driving on ice. In addition to reducing the car’s traction (causing skidding and increasing the chances of losing control of the vehicle), leaves often cover the painted road markings, making it difficult to know the locations of the lanes.

Here are a few safety tips to keep in mind:

• Slow down if you are driving on a road covered with leaves, especially when encountering turns.
• Allow yourself plenty of room to stop in an emergency. Keep a greater distance between you and the car in front of you.
• Leaves make it difficult to see potholes and bumps in the road.
• A pile of leaves raked to the side of the road is an inviting place to a child. Children enjoy jumping into the leaf piles or burrowing down into them and hiding. Never drive through a leaf pile. Use caution going around turns and where children are playing.
• Keep your windshield leaf free to avoid wet leaves getting stuck under the windshield wiper blades.
• In order to avoid the possibility of a fire hazard from the exhaust system or catalytic converter, never park your vehicle over a pile of leaves.

Officer Laura Ashe

West Goshen Township Police Department