Slick roads greet High Desert holiday travelers

Slick roads have arrived just as holiday travel begins. Slide-offs and crashes kept law enforcement in Central Oregon busy Wednesday.

The majority of Oregonians are expected to drive to their holiday destinations, and the High Desert saw weather-related traffic incidents all day.

Van Allen is in Bend from North Dakota. He said he was driving on Knott Road when a truck lost control on the icy road, swerving, then hitting his vehicle.

“This girl slid that way, then slid that way, and then she hit us. Pretty fast too,” Allen said.

By the afternoon, Deschutes County 911 dispatch had already received 21 calls about accidents in the area.

“There should be a lot of traffic for the upcoming holiday,” said Deschutes County sheriffs Sgt. William Bailey. “We encourage people to slow down, give themselves some extra time when traveling to their destination, have some extra supplies in their car, a cellphone that’s fully charged.”

Chains or traction tires are required if you’re heading over the pass. Capt. Bill Fugate with the Oregon State Police said the agency has responded to several minor slide-offs and crashes, all weather-related.

“Right now, the mountain passes are packed snow and ice,” Fugate said. “They’re expecting more snow over the weekend. So just to be careful. Best advice I can give is know before you go. Check the road conditions and give yourself plenty of time.”

Despite messages of preparedness from several agencies, AAA is expecting to rescue more than 12,000 Oregon drivers this holiday travel period.

TripCheck will provide travelers with up-to-date road conditions, and we offer a page with that info.