Winter is coming.

There is a good chance, in fact, that last weekend’s light dusting in the Pendleton area was but just a preview of Mother Nature’s annual slide into winter. Bad weather conditions, however, in the Burnt River Canyon east of Baker City closed Interstate 84 for about four hours on Sunday, Dec. 13, after several commercial trucks crashed on the snow-slickened freeway, providing an instant reminder that driving habits need to adjust with the changing of the season.

Interstate 84 has a history of bad crashes in winter — the 2012 charter bus crash that killed nine people on Cabbage Hill, the 26-vehicle predawn pileup that injured 12 in 2015 just east of Baker City — are but just a couple of recent examples.

This early in the winter, the snow — if it arrives — won’t stick around long. Yet, it is probably a good time for residents to begin thinking about the challenges — and benefits — winter weather furnishes the region.

One of the key items for winter weather driving is a simple one. Check road conditions before hitting the road. The Oregon Department of Transportation’s online Tripcheck system is a reliable and easy way to access information regarding local road and highway road conditions.

Often motorists are taken by surprise when they travel onto the interstate and suddenly find themselves battling whiteout or blizzard conditions. The state highway department Tripcheck system takes the guesswork out of winter driving.

Speed is also often a factor in winter crashes. The knowledge that simply slowing down can decrease a motorist’s chances of miscue on snow and ice sometimes takes a while to sink in, especially early in the winter when no one is quite used to winter driving conditions. But cutting the speed of your vehicle can mean the difference between a close call and a serious crash.

Another important tip to moving through the winter without a major accident is also a simple one. Motorists should, if they can, try to ensure their vehicle is in good condition. That means clean headlights, good brakes and tires and working windshield wipers. Motorists should also be prepared. That means ensuring there is extra water, a blanket and perhaps some nonperishable food in the car so that if severe winter weather does force a delay, the motorist is ready to wait it out.

These all seem like mundane tips and certainly the subject of careful winter driving isn’t going to be delivered with blaring headlines, though it probably should. That’s because every year someone, somewhere, on Oregon’s highways is killed or severely injured because of mistakes made during winter weather driving. That means the message of safety, of caution on slick or icy roads, just doesn’t get through. And that is troubling.

Winter is coming, but let’s all pay attention, slow down and make sure this season is about the fun of winter recreation in our great region and not about statistics regarding crashes.