More than 200 crashes in under 12 hours in southwestern Ontario

During one of the first big snow falls of theseason, provincial police reported 213 collisions in less than 12 hours across southwestern Ont., all beforethe evening rush hour had even begun.

OPP Media Relations Coordinator Derek Rogers saidpolice patrolling the West Region had hoped drivers would have adjusted their habits behind the wheel after the firstdusting of snow late last week.

"That has not been the case," he explained pointing to the numbers coming from in an area that spans from Windsor to the edge of the GTA and north to Georgian Bay.

The 213 crashes happened between 5:45 a.m. and 4:15 p.m, and none of them resulted in life-threatening injuries.

In one instance, a 3-week old baby was inside an SUV pushed off the road in Norfolk County by a driver in a pickup truck who fled the scene.

While many people were quick to blame the weather for the significant number, Rogers blamed driver error.

"A lot of these collisions, if not all of them, didn't need to happen," he said.

Rogers is urging drivers to slow down and to drive according to theconditions. He said it's crucial to have timeto react if something happens suddenly.

According to Environment Canada, the snow is expected to endlate Monday evening with a small chance of flurries Tuesday morning.