It's so icy, a road salt truck spun out. Here's how to drive safe

This is one of those Minnesota winter happenings you can't make up:

But if you had to drive or just go outside Monday morning, you probably didn't need to see that video to realize how slippery it is.

The State Patrol reported 173 crashes statewide between 5 and 11 a.m. Monday.

Conditions for walkers were bad, too.

Wintry storms were continuing across the state as temperatures were set to plunge yet again, making even icier conditions likely.

Getting around on the ice is tough — there's no way around it. However, there are a few things drivers can do to be a little safer.

• Don't use cruise control. Your car won't know to turn off the cruise speed if it loses traction on ice or snow.

• Avoid the brakes on ice, as they'll make the car slide more.

• Know how to correct your car if it starts to slide. There are three keys to stopping a vehicle once it has gone into a slide, says the website IcyRoadSafety.com: don't use the brakes (they can start a slide or worsen it); turn your wheels into the slide; and avoid over-correcting, which can make the spin-out worse.

• The Minnesota Department of Transportation advises drivers to be especially cautious on bridges, overpasses and tunnels. And be careful in the morning too — MnDOT notes that air temperature increases faster than pavement temperature early in the day, and those conditions cause black ice to form.

• Make sure there isn't ice covering your exhaust. As AAA notes, that can cause deadly carbon monoxide gas to build up inside the vehicle.

• Slow down, and give yourself extra time to stop. AAA says stopping distance on ice at 0 degrees is double that at 32 degrees.

• Learn emergency steering methods. AAA has a guide for how to use steering to avoid a crash. It says steering is better than braking at speeds over 25 mph.

• Don't do whatever these Seattle drivers did after the city got a little snow: