Muskingum County Sheriff Explains Snow Emergencies and Tips for Driving in the Snow

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – Muskingum County residents woke up to a level one snow emergency this morning and more snow is expected this weekend.

Muskingum County Sheriff Matt Lutz explains what snow emergencies mean and how to stay safe on the roads.

Lutz said a level one snow emergency is issued when snow covers the ground.

Unlike a level two or three, the first level is an advisory that lets people know to be cautious.

The second level allows only people who have to be on the roads. Lutz suggests calling work to see if it’s necessary to come in and deciding if it’s safe to drive.

“I tell folks all the time, a lot of it depends on what kind of a driver you are, what kind of vehicle you have,” Lutz said. “If you have a little Volkswagon that doesn’t do real good in the snow versus a truck with four wheel drive, there’s a lot of difference of what you can drive. So, you basically have to use common sense with that.”

The third level is used primarily to keep vehicles off the road and keep it clear for emergency services. Lutz said level three isn’t used often.

Because this level restricts who can be on the road, Lutz said people could get a ticket if found unnecessarily driving on the roads.

“In a level three, if you’re out joy riding or goofing off or something like that, and you do cause an issue, you can be cited for that,” Lutz said. “We do have that warning that we do put out there just to tell people that everybody, including me, likes to go out and have fun in the snow, but we have to have some common sense about keeping roadways open so that personnel can get where they need to get. ”

Lutz encourages drivers to leave with plenty of time to get where they need to go, and to slow down on snow covered or icy roads.

He said going slow is the safest way to drive and maintain control of the vehicle.

This story was submitted by WHIZ News Intern Alison Patton.