ODESSA, Texas — As roads have become icy over Sunday night to Monday morning, local law enforcement have been reporting dozens of crashes in the Permian Basin.
DPS has responded to a total of 55 crashes in its Midland district (covering in much of the Permian Basin) from midnight to noon on Monday.
Odessa Police have responded to around 30 crashes as of 10:30 a.m. They also caution some lights may be out, so drivers are reminded to treat intersections as a four-way stop in the meantime,
As of 1:30 p.m., the Midland Police Department says it has responded to 52 crashes. The majority of these were classified as minor.
All three law enforcement agencies are encouraging the public to avoid roadways and stay home if possible, but if you have to drive you are asked to slow down and allow for plenty of time to get to your destination.
When driving in winter weather, make sure you have your headlights on and use extra caution on overpasses and underpasses.
You should also avoid using cruise control on icy roads and ease off of the gas pedal or brakes if you start to skid.
DPS is also reminding drivers there is a large possibility of black ice and otherwise slick conditions expected early Tuesday morning, so please continue to drive carefully.
TxDOT updates road conditions regularly, so be sure to check DriveTexas.org before heading outside.