Temperatures in Cochrane have once again fallen below the freezing mark and we are expecting more of the white stuff throughout the week too.

As we gear up for a long stretch of winter driving conditions, the Cochrane RCMP is reminding motorists of some winter driving tips.

While winter driving shouldn't be something new for most of us here in Southern Alberta; Corporal Troy Savinkoff with the Cochrane RCMP says it's typical to see a high volume of collisions during the first couple of snowfalls.

"We have noticed a huge increase with our first couple of snowfalls here with a large amount of collisions," says Savinkoff. "Once the weather gets settled in and we kind of see some more consistent cold weather our collisions start to narrow and even out a little bit, but we've already had a few ugly days with a lot of collisions."

Savinkoff says those collisions were primarily due to drivers not being well prepared for the conditions and he strongly recommends winterizing your vehicles if you haven't already. 

"It's probably about time now that people should have their winter tires on or at least be in the process of putting them on, and obviously they need to adjust their driving to the appropriate conditions," says Savinkoff.

Savinkoff says that motorists need to be reminded to adjust their speed in particular. He says that when roads are slick and visibility is reduced, motorists aren't expected to drive the posted speed limit.

"100 kilometres an hour on a highway, although the speed limit, that doesn't necessarily mean that if road conditions are poor that they should be aiming to drive 100 kilometres an hour," says Savinkoff. "People should be adjusting their speed accordingly with the weather conditions."

Drivers got their first taste of winter driving on October 13 and the Cochrane RCMP responded to four collisions on highway 1A during the morning commute alone.