Mild winter causing fewer car accidents

WESTFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - The lack of snow and ice this winter has made driving around town a little less stressful than it usually is this time of year.

All you have to do is remember back to last winter when all the snow made driving quite a challenge.

If you didn't get stuck driving in the snow, it was dangerous enough to just get around with the huge snowbanks that were at the end of every street.

This winter, it's a very different story: the roads are nice and clear and there aren't any huge snowbanks on the side of the roads.

At Balise Collision Repair in West Springfield the lack of snow and ice has had and effect on business.

"Typically this time of year it's not unusual to see a tow truck every 3 to 4 hours, vehicles that are undrivable, because of slippery conditions, you can't control, that's pretty common," said Scott Santucci, the manager of Balise Collision Repair. "This year we're not seeing much of that year. Last winter we rolled about 130 cars ongoing constantly. This year it's more in the 70 range."

Santucci says that, despite the mild winter, they are still dealing with repairs to cars due to damage caused by the June 1st tornado and the October snowstorm.

Even if we don't see much snow and ice we still have pothole season to look forward to.