MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Several city crews were out all day Tuesday clearing the roads after Monday’s wintry weather.
It’s not something we see in the Mid-South often, so many drivers found themselves stuck on the side of the road. The sun was out on Tuesday, but law enforcement says don’t let that deceive you.
Law enforcement officials say still want you to stay off the roads. Here’s why, the snow is now packed down and there’s ice on the roadways making the two a dangerous combo for driving.
Clearing the roads has been a full-time job for city crews working to improve driving conditions. Scenes from downtown Memphis on Monday of cars stuck are why.
“If you have a little car that’s low to the ground you don’t want to get out in this,” Cory Albertson, who lives downtown, said.
Albertson was planning to spend yesterday working as an Uber Eats driver but found pretty much everything was closed.
“On my traveling around to each restaurant I kept seeing a lot of cars that were stuck and a lot of people weren’t stopping,” Albertson said.
So Albertson put his truck to work and used a tow rope to dig out about 30 cars from several inches of snow.
“What I saw the biggest thing is people were just constantly on their gas and your car overheats when you’re constantly turning your tires so you don’t want to damage your car,” Albertson said.
To avoid that, Albertson suggests steering clear of the pack down snow. He add it’s important to stay calm as you try to regain traction and navigate your way out.
“Don’t freak out. Don’t try to throw your steering wheel everywhere. Just keep relaxed and your steering wheel will correct itself,” Albertson said.
Memphis Police say they’ve received an increase of calls for similar issues. As city crews now work to clear roads, they ask you to remove any stranded vehicles while you have the chance.
“If there’s some type of street work or public works truck that may need to come clear some of that snow or ice from the roadway and your vehicle is obstructing traffic that vehicle will be towed,” Colonel Keith Watson, MPD Traffic Division, said.
Police say you generally have 48-hours to move an unattended vehicle from the road. But not if it’s blocking traffic or hindering the work of public safety crew.
