Thousands of motorists who have attempted to drive through this weekend's string of blizzards are ending up bumper-first in ditches and snow banks, according to the Canadian Automobile Association.
Two separate storms hit southwestern Ontario this weekend, with some regions likely to be buried under as much as 40 centimetres of snow by Monday morning.
According to spokesperson Edyta Zdancewicz, the CAA in southcentral Ontario has received more than 12,000 calls for help since the first system hit on Friday.
In addition, tens of thousands of calls are flooding CAA offices across the country.
"We are definitely seeing anyone who does go out in this weather getting themselves into a little bit of trouble," Zdancewicz said Sunday during an interview with Â鶹´«Ã½net.
At the peak of Friday's storm, drivers had to wait an average of two hours for assistance from the CAA, which asked some drivers to call back if the situation wasn't an emergency.
While the biggest piece of advice the CAA has for motorists is simply to stay off the roads, the organization does have some safety tips for those who need to drive.
"If you've got weather like this, winter tires are definitely something you should have on your vehicle," Zdancewicz said. "If you have only performance tires, it may be better to stay at home in this type of weather and wait until everything gets plowed."
Other tips include:
- Stay on main roads, which are plowed and salted first
- Drive according to weather conditions, which may mean driving considerably slower than the speed limit and leaving a lot more space between you and other cars
- Brush all the snow off of your car -- snow falling from vehicles can further reduce visibility for others on the road
- Keep an ice scraper, brush, first aid kit, blankets and flares in your car
- Don't get out of your car if you do get stuck. Put on your four-way flashers and call for help
