Safety on the roads in winter

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – From sunny and 60 degrees one day to snowy and 30 the next, winter has arrived in Southeast Ohio.

Transportation Administrator Phil Valentine from the Ohio Department of Transportation wants to remind motorists to be safe on the roadways. He said as the winter weather arrives it’s important to completely clean off cars before getting on the road and to leave extra time for travel.

“The posted speed limit during a snow and ice event isn’t always the safest speed to run, so slow down, that’s why you want to leave early,” said Valentine. “More importantly, make sure you increase your following distance. You want to be able to stop gradually.”

Valentine wants to caution everyone that bridges and low areas are the first to freeze and not to change lanes when crossing bridges, as those are usually the most slick spots. He also has a tip for drivers about spotting the difference between wet and frozen roads.

“A few tips that we tell people, whenever you’re looking for roads to freeze down, when you’re on that borderline of wet to freezing if you kind of watch the mist coming off the tires that are around you, if you see it start lying down, you know that the roadway is starting to freeze up,” said Valentine.

Valentine said another important safety tip for driving during winter is making sure to leave extra room when following plow trucks. He said the trucks travel slower than most other vehicles as they try to clear the roads and sometimes need to stop without warning. He said if people do need to pass a plow, to make sure they are doing so safely and have plenty of room.