Icy conditions and snowfall in Rhineland-Palatinate led to several road accidents over the weekend. Most of these incidents resulted in minimal damage, but two young men had a bit of a rough ride on a slippery bridge in Niederfischbach, Altenkirchen district.
The first mishap occurred when an 18-year-old lost control of his vehicle on the icy road, crashing into a crash barrier and ending up in the opposite lane. The event was quickly followed by another young man who similarly lost control, this time due to being caught off guard by the icy conditions and debris on the road. Both of their cars were damaged in the mid four-figure range, but fortunately, neither driver was injured.
In Trier, the Konrad Adenauer Bridge saw several icy accidents on Saturday morning. Two incidents with significant material damage occurred within minutes of each other. One driver faced a fine due to not having the correct tires, while the police pledged to step up their inspections for proper winter tires in the coming weeks.
Two accidents also took place on the A62 near Kaiserslautern after the first snowfall. First, a 70-year-old man skidded off the road and into a crash barrier, claiming he was trying to avoid another vehicle. He escaped unscathed. A short time later, a 29-year-old man had a similar mishap, crashing into the crash barriers on both sides of the highway. His 22-year-old passenger sustained minor injuries, and property damage estimated at around €25,000 was reported.
The icy conditions in Rhineland-Palatinate were also responsible for other accidents, such as the one where a driver lost control on a bridge in Niederfischbach and crashed into the crash barrier. Another driver was similarly caught off guard by the wet debris on the road, resulting in another crash into the crash barrier.
Due to the ongoing snowfall and icy weather, drivers are advised to ensure their vehicles are equipped with winter tires, which are mandatory during winter months. Public service strikes, although temporarily decreasing the available road safety workers, may have affected the salt and grit treatment of roads, making them even more slippery.
Temperature forecasts indicate freezing temperatures persisting into the next week, with lows of -7 degrees Celsius predicted for Sunday night and -10 degrees in Mittelgebirge regions. Official weather advisories from the Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD) include warnings for icy surfaces and frost, effective until 11 AM on February 14th. It is essential for drivers to exercise caution and prepare for the continued adverse weather conditions in Rhineland-Palatinate.
