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Low temperatures impact Milwaukee driving conditions

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Police warned drivers to take it slow in the inclement weather Thursday, even if our area gets less than one inch of snow.

Brown Deer police officer Nick Andersen told drivers to take it easy Thursday night.

"The light coverings can be kind of misleading. People still think that they can drive the normal speeds, normal stopping distances which do tend to lead to an increase in minor collisions," Andersen said.

Even though the salt trucks are out, drivers are still responsible for making sure they're safe.

"Normal following distance is three to four seconds; we want to increase that to at least eight to 10 seconds following distance between you and the car in front of you," Andersen said.

Because of the low temperatures, city crews are using a new green salt Thursday. It has magnesium chloride which helps treat rust and is an organic de-icer.

The green salt is more expensive but DPW says it's more effective and safer on cars, equipment and infrastructure. Although better salt is being used, police still say keep the speeds low.

"Obviously when the roadways are snow or ice covered we're going to need to lower that speed," Andersen said.