late at night. Rounding a curve, you come up
behind a late-night, hard-working snowplow,
clearing the road.We've all been in that situation before. Your first thought is usually, "Whew! I'm glad the snowplows are out clearing these roads!" Often the second thought is, "Hmm. I'd sort of like to get around this snowplow, but these are awfully slick roads, and that plow is pretty big, and the snow is spraying everywhere . . . "
The Idaho Transportation Department’s Winter Safety Campaign has produced a new video that offers information on staying safe around snowplows. To view the video, you can go to this link: https://youtu.be/6VVqkGry8Pc
The video also is available via Twitter, at the handle @IdahoITD.
"ITD plow drivers try to be as predictable as possible by not making sudden lane changes or speed changes so that the surrounding traffic doesn't get surprised by a maneuver," said ITD Maintenance Manager Dan Bryant. "In return, we ask that travelers not crowd the plow. Be patient. Don't tailgate. Don't squeeze through in half a lane or cut back in front of us. Do not drive through the snow plume coming out of the plow funnel. Sometimes cars are way too close to the back of the snowplow truck. We don't want to impede traffic. Drivers can work their way around us safely."
The ITD Winter Safety Campaign helps drivers plan and prepare for challenging driving conditions by providing them with helpful information. This includes webpage links to neighboring states’ 511 traveler information for drivers who are traveling to Oregon, Washington, Montana, Nevada, Utah or Wyoming.
More information, and other safety tips, are available on the ITD Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/IdahoTransportationDepartment