This winter has been tough for some of us. In this case, we aren’t speaking about large quantities of snow or frigid temperatures. We’re speaking about Ohio drivers, who, going by stats revealed by the Ohio Department of Transportation, are drawn to snow plows like Mustang drivers are drawn to burnouts at automotive reveals.
ODOT Press Secretary Matt Bruning confirmed to Motor1 there have been 16 crashes between motorists and snow plows thus far this season. Speaking to us in regards to the scenario, Bruning revealed the latest crash did not result in severe accidents. That’s the case for all the collisions thus far within the Buckeye state, however the frequency of crashes is alarming. There had been 26 for the complete season final 12 months; the climate’s been comparatively delicate this 12 months and there are nonetheless a few months to go.
“We got to 16 quicker this year than last,” he stated. “The first was on January 7 in Cleveland, a plow was sitting in the gore of the highway waiting for snow to start. A driver drifted off the side of the road and hit the plow.”
Crash quantity 15 was the incident that caught our consideration. Shared on Facebook, ODOT says it was a case of distracted driving; nobody suffered life-threatening accidents. The identical can’t be stated for the mangled Audi, identifiable to us solely by the wheels. It’s a stark reminder that, in terms of absolutely anything on 4 wheels versus a snow plow, the plow all the time wins.
“None of these plow strikes have resulted in very significant damage to our trucks,” stated Bunting. “But it still takes time because we have to stop and call in law enforcement to complete a report. If there is enough damage, that plow has to go back to the shop and the driver jumps in a backup plow, or other drivers in the area adjust their route to cover. That means it’s going to take longer to clear the routes.”
And there’s lots to cowl. The state has roughly 43,000 lane miles to clear. ODOT maintains a fleet of 1,500 snow plows to handle all state and US routes outdoors native municipalities. The Ohio Turnpike has its personal staff, however there are nonetheless roughly 8,000 lane miles on interstates alone.
Of course, plow crashes definitely aren’t an Ohio-specific downside. A Subaru WRX was literally split in half by a plow after trying a ridiculous cross in New York in January. But Bruning has spoken with transportation departments in different states and located they are not having fairly the identical subject with vehicles crashing into plows.
“The common factors we see are distraction, or unfortunately impairment; overnight it’s usually an impaired driver that hits us, and we’ve had a couple of those this year,” defined Bruning. “Or it’s just people driving too fast for conditions. They are paying attention. They see the plow, they want to go around the plow, and they think ‘I’ve got a 4WD vehicle, no problem.’ They get in that left lane or go to pass on a two-lane road, and they realize they’ve bitten off more than they can chew and lose control.”
With no less than two months of potential winter exercise nonetheless to come back, Bruning hopes drivers in Ohio get the message that plows want house.
“The plow is 12 feet wide. The lane is 12 feet. A lot of the crashes are people either getting too close and hitting the plow, or rear-ending us. And it happens just as much on two lanes as on the interstate. When that plow is pushing snow, it’s going to create a snow cloud around the plow and visibility will be reduced the closer you get. They’re also dumping salt or brine out the back. I don’t understand why you’d want to get that close.”
Just give them some room,” he says. “Back off, keep a number of automotive lengths away.”