A video went viral recently showing a pileup accident on a snowy and icy road. NPR reported on the video, indicating that no one got hurt so it was OK to "laugh if you're so inclined." While the video may seem to depict an amusing series of events, there is nothing funny about winter pileup accidents. In fact, multi-car collisions that occur due to bad winter weather happen every year in Connecticut and many of these crashes cause serious injuries or even deaths. 
Preventing accidents during storms or when road conditions are bad is not always possible. Sometimes, you can simply lose control over your car no matter how hard you try. However, there are things that you can do to try to reduce the chances a serious accident will happen. Watching the viral video and seeing how the cash unfolded, you can get some clues as to what you can do to try to reduce the chances of becoming involved in your own multi-vehicle pileup accident.
There are a few important takeaways from the video of the pileup accident including the following:
- Intersections can be really dangerous places when the road is slippery. The front car is actually pushed into the intersection by the force of being hit from the rear. Motorists should know that crashes are much more common when cars are all stopped in the same place at an intersection and should consider the risks presented by opposing traffic if a car spins out of control.
- You can sometimes steer your car out of harms way, even if you start to skid. In the viral video, a taxi driver loses control of his car. He does not, however, actually strike the cars which were directly in front of his path. He was able to steer the car to an open space. If your car starts to spin out and the rear-wheels skid, you should try to turn the car into the direction you want the front wheels to travel.
- Anyone can get into a pileup accident, so do not assume you have everything under control. The viral video showed both a snow plow driver and a police officer getting involved in the chain reaction crash. If these trained professionals cannot effectively avoid problems in the snow, those without a plow or police training may have an even more difficult time avoiding crashes.
While you may get a little laugh out of watching the video and seeing all the cars sliding into each other, the video should be more than just a humorous viral video. It is a reminder that car accidents can and do happen when weather is bad, and it provides a clear picture of how quickly a serious multi-car chain reaction crash can happen. Drivers can and should do their part to prevent similar accidents from happening going forward.