How Now Snowplow

And just like that, it was winter.  

As snow began to fly on Tuesday, roads throughout North Idaho morphed into their most treacherous forms, daring drivers to traverse the region’s mountainous highways. 

Each year, the Idaho Department of Transportation (IDT) waits for this moment knowing full well that the chaos tends to get worse before it gets better, largely because people struggle to coexist with the snowplows while they’re out clearing the roads.  

But how should people go about sharing roads with the people who are out trying to keep them safe?  

According to ITD Public Information Officer Heather McDaniel, accidents between passenger vehicles and snowplows are common and almost always avoidable.  

“The number one rule across the board is to slow down,” McDaniel said. “Just because a speed limit sign says 55, doesn’t mean that’s how fast everyone should be going when the roads are icy or snowy. We have had two vehicle-versus-snowplow incidents so far in North Idaho this year, and both involved other drivers traveling too fast for conditions and losing control.”  

Fortunately, no one was hurt in either of these accidents, the plows fared pretty well too, but the passenger cars, not so much.  

When ITD’s snowplows are out clearing the road, people must be aware of how they operate, when they are safe to pass, and when you simply must be patient and slow down. 

McDaniel explained that ITD’s plows are equipped with both front and wing blades for clearing snow, and when everything is fully extended, they can have wing... er plow span... of 22 feet.  The wing blades are used to clear centerlines and shoulders of the road and aren’t always down when the plows are operating. 

“Because these wing plows are not down 100% of the time, and because they are often difficult to see when they are down in use, we see a lot of instances where people make a move to pass the plow on the right and end up in a crash with the wing,” McDaniel said. “While there technically isn’t a law that prohibits passing a plow on the right in Idaho, ITD encourages people to utilize an extreme amount of both caution and common sense before making a move to pass a snowplow, especially on the right side.”  

These big plows can be maneuvered to throw snow in either direction, depending on what the operator is trying to accomplish. Oftentimes, when plows are out, conditions are usually poor, and visibility can be challenging, making it dangerous for drivers to determine how a plow is operating – and while this may seem like common sense to some, people do attempt to drive through the snow as it’s being thrown off the road.  

“If conditions and visibility are such that drivers can’t tell (where the snow is being thrown), then they should be patient and stay behind the plows as they work,” McDaniel said. “Drivers should never attempt to drive through the snow plume being thrown by plows – Despite looking light and fluffy, that snow and ice can cause an incredible amount of damage to passing vehicles, not to mention the fact that whatever else is in/on the roadway is being scooped up and thrown along with it.”  

At the end of the day, when the snow flies and the roads become dangerous, the safest place to drive is behind a snowplow.  

When following a snowplow, give it several car lengths of space to safely handle both its plowing responsibilities and to keep your car from being bathed in whatever method of de-icing material is being used.  

According to McDaniel, ITD has partnered with the regional Idaho State Police districts to host free state-wide winter driving classes for the community – These classes have ended, but ITD is still offering free presentations of the course material to any community groups or agencies that request it.  

For more information on the course contact Heather McDaniel at heather.mcdaniel@itd.idaho.gov