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One of the effects of Bozeman’s ever-growing population is a gradual increase in traffic accidents, which are mostly dealt with by the Montana Highway Patrol. MHP’s jurisdiction spans every public road in the state, meaning they are dealing with accidents every single day, with the amount increasing tenfold in the winters. In a recent ride along with MHP officer Jacob Patton, he discussed the dangers of driving in Montana, particularly in the winter, and especially in the Gallatin canyon going up to Big Sky. I was told that the MHP is in the canyon every single day during the winter time dealing with accidents. Out-of-staters make up most of the accidents due to their lack of experience driving on Montana roads (though even experienced Montana residents make up a sizable portion of the accidents as well). Even in the fall months, it gets cold enough to freeze water on the road, creating invisible hazards for drivers.
On our ride along we attended an accident in the canyon where a patch of ice had developed in a shady part of the canyon, causing a vehicle to slide into an incoming semi-truck. The semi swerved, avoiding a head on collision and the vehicle clipped the slide of the semi before rolling over in the ditch. Luckily, nobody was injured and everybody made it home safe that afternoon.
Pictured above is Officer Patton with the semi-truck involved.
Officer Patton talks with the passengers of the vehicle that rolled over, making sure everyone was doing alright after the accident.