TUCSON, Ariz.- It has not been a good day for ripping down the road at 40, 50, 60 or faster.
Bad visibility, and slick streets require care, caution and common sense that can be rare on our roads.
Sergeant Charlie Serino has been on Highway Patrol for 28 years and only seen a handful of days like this.
"We've had several slide offs, what we call, slide off where people just hydroplane and run off the road, don't experience any injuries but we just tried to get him back on the road again safely and on their way through, but you had one that was a fatal. We did have a fatal collision this afternoon or this morning rather that has been investigated on Interstate 19."
In that case, slick conditions may have been aggravated by worn tires even more likely to lose traction on wet pavement.
Pima County Deputies handled a car that ran off the side of Craycroft, just north of River. The car was stolen, so the driver didn't stick around to clarify whether he or she lost control on slick pavement or just ran off the road on purpose.
Pima Sheriff's Deputy Daniel Jelineo says you lose more of your margin of safety when streets are this slippery.
"It's slick, it can become icy. You go across some of these bridges out here and the temperatures are 32 degrees, there's a chance that you might slide across that bridge and lose control of your vehicle."
To avoid that dangerous slipping and sliding, it pays to allow more time for everything—slow acceleration—slow braking and more space between you and other drivers and drivers tell us they're trying to do that.
We've met a lot of drivers who grew up driving up north and know the art of driving in snow.
Marcus Whitlock is visiting from Missouri.
"I thought I'd put the snow behind me but as I'm travelling here to pick my daughter up here at the airport I'm finding that the snow followed me."
Robin Curnes says, "I'm from Wisconsin so this is nothing. Yeah, this is nothing."
