N.C. Department of Transportation crews in Division 9, which includes Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Rowan and Stokes counties, are spending the first couple hours this morning hitting the slick spots on interstates and primary roads. The focus the rest of the day is on the secondary routes across the division. By the end of the day they hope to have reached all secondary roads.

Temperatures and sky cover will have a big effect on success, as well as the extent of a next round of snow that is forecast for this afternoon.

Crews worked until dark Tuesday night and were sent home. Then, overnight crews monitored conditions, handled slippery spots and responded to a couple of accidents scattered across the division.

Crews in these counties have spread over 4000 tons of salt since the onset of the storm.

Even though road conditions are much improved over Tuesday, drivers are still urged to use extreme caution along the roadways today. There is expected to be considerably more vehicles on the road today, and there are patches of ice that could suddenly send a vehicle sliding. Motorists need to drive carefully, slow down and leave plenty of space between themselves and the vehicle in front of them. Here are other safety tips:

•    Bridges, elevated roadways and overpasses freeze up first. Approach them with extreme caution and do not apply your brakes while on the bridge;
•    If you begin to slide, take your foot off the gas and turn the steering wheel in the direction of the slide. Do not apply the brakes as that will cause further loss of control of the car; and
•    If you have a cellular phone, take it with you. You can contact the Highway Patrol statewide by calling HP (*47) or call the county emergency center by dialing 911.

The department had developed a comprehensive winter website including videos and information on the department’s preparation and response to severe weather.

For real-time travel information at any time, visit the Travel section of the NCDOT website, call 511, or follow NCDOT on Twitter. Another option is NCDOT Mobile, a phone-friendly version of the NCDOT website.

You can also get emergency information from the N.C. Department of Public Safety at http://readync.org, and download the ReadyNC app to help you prepare for everything from road conditions to severe storms on a daily basis. It is available for free in the AppStore for iPhones and Google Play for Android devices.