Police urge caution after hundreds of crashes

Calgary police are urging motorists to drive cautiously after responding to 366 collisions since Tuesday morning, and a total of more than 800 since Friday's initial snowfall.

Of those collisions recorded between 7 a.m. Tuesday and 7 a.m. Wednesday, 30 involved injuries.

Duty Insp. Rob Williams said black ice and snow are creating some tricky conditions for drivers, and he urged motorists to slow down and take it easy to avoid a collision.

"The number we have had over the last few days here, the body shops are going to be backed up for months. So a few minutes late for work is better than a few months without your vehicle."

Most of the accidents occur at intersections because motorists aren't giving themselves enough time to stop, Williams said. Vehicles are sliding into one another, resulting in a lot of rear end collisions, he said.

The city had 55 sanders and 27 graders on the roads Wednesday, trying to improve driving conditions.

RCMP were also asking drivers to stay off highways in central Alberta because they were in poor shape.

Parts of Highway 2 were restricted to one lane in each direction after several collisions north and south of Red Deer, RCMP said Wednesday morning.

By Wednesday evening, they were warning of four-hour delays on Highway 2, north of Highway 11 and south of Highway 11A.

"Police classify road conditions as poor," police said in a release. "Non-essential travel is not recommended."