||| FROM UZEK SUSOL for ORCAS TOWING |||

Winter after winter of pulling people out of ditches after/during a snow storm (30 years), seeing senseless injuries/fatalities from lack of proper snow traction devices, driving too fast for conditions, poor snow driving skills, not leaving enough following distance, fogged up windows, etc.. my suggestion is to have enough supplies on hand prior to stay home. 
If you do venture out then be prepared with a four wheel drive or all wheel drive equipped with at minimum mud & snow rated tires, better yet snow tires, better yet studded snow tires. Keep an ice scraper/snow brush handy to clear all your windows & make sure your defroster works well as struggling to see the road is going to make safe driving difficult. Many tire manufacturers tout their snow tires as good as studded tires, maybe on flat surfaces in snow but if you live on a steep drive (Buck Mountain, Rosario Highlands, etc) where you will get ice from compact snow then studded snow tires are what you want, it’s what I run on my tow trucks, if the snow gets too deep then the chains go on top of that.
I’ve been on ice covered roads up Buck mountain with 3 cars with snow tires smashed up near the top in the S curves, my 15,000 lb tow truck was sliding down the hill with four wheel drive, studded snow tires & chains with ice bars, its nothing to take lightly.
There has been snow events in years past where I have 30 plus cars in the ditch calls scattered across Orcas Island within one hour’s time, there’s no way for me to be in 30 different places at once. Our priority is to keep the County roads clear for emergency traffic, private roads are always secondary to County road calls.
Many people I pull out of the ditch are getting coffee, a newspaper, please don’t risk your or your fellow Community members safety for that. Compact snow, ice & a steep grade are nothing to take a chance with.
Inevitably we will have snow & ice soon, I hope to see you all out on a walk on a sunny day & not in the ditch this winter.
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