The Indiana State Police suggest drivers look in the mirror before pointing a finger at Mother Nature for weather-related traffic accidents.

With the snow and ice having turned Indiana roads treacherous lately, the state police are full-go in an effort to limit the number of weather-related accidents by emphasizing responsible driving.

“Sometimes it's a shock to the system when the first snow hits,” said Sgt. Ron Galaviz of the Indiana State Police. “Maybe folks are just not overly, consciously thinking about it. I think there's a misconception at times where people think it's the weather causing these crashes, it's not their driving. Well, it's the other way around.”

State police urge drivers to follow theset tips before hitting the road:

♦Check the forecast. Let someone know your destination and route. Make sure to have a full gas tank.

♦Have a winter driving kit, complete with blankets, a flashlight with extra batteries, a bright cloth, sand or cat litter, a shovel, a candle and matches, nonperishable high-calorie food, a first-aid kit, jumper cables and a cell phone, which could be vital in the cold in a stranded vehicle.

♦Always drive according to the road conditions, Galaviz said, to limit loss of control and accidents.

“The speed limit on State Road (Indiana) 3 … is 60 mph,” Galaviz explained. “If you've got a foot of snow and a foot of ice underneath it, you can't drive 60 mph. Sometimes when people spin out in the median, you're citing them for speeding too fast and … they think, ‘Well, I'm not qualifying for the Indy 500.' No, we're not suggesting that you are. Even though the speed limit is 60, even if you're going 40, for this condition, 40 is too fast. We urge drivers to drive according to the conditions.”

♦Make sure a vehicle's windows are clear and pay extra attention under bridges and overpasses, where ice and snow melts slower.

♦The No.1 suggestion the state police offer, though, is to simply slow down.

“We're really trying to strive to reduce the number of crashes, especially the personal injury and fatality crashes,” Galaviz said. “We started really cracking down on causational crashes - speed, following too close, failing to yield a right of way. By and large, it's due to driver error, speed and not allowing themselves enough following distance.”