CDOT
Reminds Motorists:
Do Not
Crowd Snow Plow Trucks
SOUTHWEST/SOUTH-CENTRAL
COLORADO — With a strong winter snow storm predicted for the coming
weekend, electronic message boards across the region are lighting up with this
important message: “NEVER PASS PLOWS ON THE RIGHT!” The Colorado Department of
Transportation (CDOT) reminds the traveling public that snow plows need space
to work.
The National Weather
Service, based in Grand Junction, forecasts a strong storm and cold front
moving into southwest Colorado by Friday night (12/16). The system is expected
to initially bring a rain-snow mix Friday at lower elevations. As the night
falls, snow is expected in the mountains and down to the lower valley floors.
CDOT encourages travelers to
be aware of snow plow operations, as maintenance crews across the region will
be actively working to maintain the roadways.
“In the past few weeks,
several passenger vehicles have crashed into our plow trucks while they were
clearing snow from the roads. All were attempting to pass our plows,” said
David Vialpando, superintendent for CDOT’s Maintenance Section 7, headquartered
in Alamosa. “In order for our plows to remove snow efficiently and apply sand
or deicing agents safely, a maximum speed of 35 miles per hour is required.
This speed may seem slow to some drivers following a snow plow, but to attempt passing
is very risky!”
Meanwhile Greg Stacy,
superintendent for CDOT’s Maintenance Section 3, headquartered in Durango said,
“The ultimate advice to avoid causing a crash is simply: do not crowd our
plows. When a plow is in a crash it can no longer maintain the roadways for
everyone.”
1. Never
pass on the right — Never a good idea! Many plows use a blade extension (wing
plow) on the right hand side of the truck. The blade extends the plowing area
towards the shoulder of the road, leaving no room to pass. Also, plows are
designed to push all the snow, slush, rocks and other debris to the right of
the truck. The flying debris will damage your vehicle and obstruct your view of
the road.
2. Never
pass during tandem/echelon plowing — Tandem/echelon plowing staggers
multiple plows to cover all lanes and clear the entire roadway in one
coordinated sweep. This is the safest and most efficient snow removal method to
clear the entire roadway. It is extremely dangerous for motorists to try and
pass plows in this formation because you could encounter white out conditions,
ridges of snow between lanes or get trapped between the snow plow trucks.
3. Never
tailgate — Plows need to drop deicer and sand, so make sure you stay
back at least three to four car lengths of space. If you’re too close, your
visibility is reduced and deicer and sand could hit your car. You also never
know when a plow might need to suddenly stop — make sure you have plenty of
room to do the same.
Stacy added, “We believe it
is extremely important to educate the public about snow plowing operations and
safety while driving near plows. We encourage everyone to visit our CDOT
website to access this helpful information.”
