Indiana, PA – Ahead of predicted winter weather through the weekend, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) District 10 is reminding motorists to slow down, pay attention and use caution if traveling in wintry conditions, especially during snow squalls or low-visibility conditions that may occur.
While avoiding or delaying unnecessary travel during winter storms is the safest choice, PennDOT offers this advice if motorists must travel:
- Listen to weather, travel advisories, and be aware of roadway restrictions prior to travelling. If you don't have to travel in bad weather, don't.
- Keep your gas tank at least half full.
- Turn on your low beams, even during the daytime to make your vehicle more visible to other motorists.
- Do not use cruise control while driving on snow covered, wet, or icy roads.
- On packed snow, decrease your speed by half. On ice, slow your vehicle to a crawl. In both scenarios, motorists should increase their following distance.
- Clear your vehicle of snow and ice before starting to drive including the windows, hood, trunk, roof, headlights, taillights, and signals.
- Always wear your seatbelt.
When winter weather occurs, drivers should be extra cautious around operating snow-removal equipment. When encountering a plow truck, drivers should:
- Stay at least six car lengths behind an operating plow truck and remember that the main plow is wider than the truck.
- Be alert since plow trucks generally travel much more slowly than other traffic.
- When a plow truck is traveling toward you, move as far away from the center of the road as is safely possible, and remember that snow can obscure the actual snow plow width.
- Never travel next to a plow truck since there are blind spots where the operator can't see, and they can occasionally be moved sideways when hitting drifts or heavy snowpack.
- Keep your lights on to help the operator better see your vehicle. Also remember that under Pennsylvania state law, vehicle lights must be on every time a vehicle's wipers are on due to inclement weather.
“We urge drivers to use caution if they must travel and preferably avoid or postpone travel, if the weather conditions warrant it” said PennDOT Community Relations Coordinator Tina Gibbs. “We will be working to keep the roadways passable and safe, but if you must travel slow down and drive using safe and smart driving practices.”
Drivers should also have an emergency kit handy. Here are some suggestions of what you could include in your emergency kit. For more information on safe winter travel and information on PennDOT’s winter operations including a video, visit www.PennDOT.pa.gov/winter. Additional winter driving and other highway safety information is available at www.pa.gov/DOTsafety.
Motorists can check conditions on more than 40,000 roadway miles, including color-coded winter conditions on 2,900 miles, by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic restrictions, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and access to more than 1,200 traffic cameras.
Restrictions may be implemented for speed and for certain vehicles during the storm. These restrictions will be communicated via variable message boards, the 511PA traveler information website and smartphone apps. Motorists can also sign up for personalized alerts on the website. Restrictions will be lifted as quickly as possible when conditions are safe. Restrictions can be changed based on conditions on the roadways, and reports from first responders, law enforcement and PennDOT personnel.
Subscribe to PennDOT news in in Armstrong, Butler, Clarion, Indiana, and Jefferson counties at www.penndot.pa.gov/District10.
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MEDIA CONTACT: Tina Gibbs at 724-357-2829 or chgibbs@pa.gov.