Winter is a season that brings both headaches and hassles – scraping a stubborn layer of ice off your windshield on frigid mornings, treacherous driving due to snow and learning how to navigate slick conditions along with other drivers. They are probably just as uneasy as you are when you get behind the wheel and the going is rough, with poor visibility.
There is one hazard that comes along with the wintry weather that some of us could use a few pointers on. That’s sharing the road with snowplows. They are massive and unwieldy, are lumbering along at a modest clip and often leave plenty of snowy, foglike mist in their wake.
You might have trouble spotting a plow in a blinding snowstorm, and they just might have the same problem noticing you. Either way, it can be a recipe for a collision unless you know in advance how to react.
What to do if you find yourself traveling near a snowplow
The Ohio Committee for Severe Weather Awareness (OCSWA) has great advice for anyone driving alongside or behind a snowplow. Their slogan, “Don’t Crowd the Plow,” makes sense.
Heed these suggestions:
- Relax and don’t try to outmaneuver a snowplow. They are going slowly for a reason. Passing one is highly inadvisable.
- Maybe you should reduce your speed as well.
- There is always the possibility that the snowplow driver cannot view your vehicle due to blind spots or bad weather. Keep that firmly in mind as you proceed. Stay at a reasonable distance behind the snowplow at all times.
An accident can happen
You have a responsibility to drive safely, as does the snowplow operator. If you are in a crash and you feel the snowplow driver was at fault, you can investigate the possibility of compensation.