7 Tips To Help You Drive Safely Around Snowplows

Holiday travel season is here and between shopping, social visits and trips, the roads will be busy. MnDOT wants to make sure everyone stays safe, especially when sharing the roads with snowplows.

According to the Minnesota Department of Transportation, there were 84 crashes last year in Minnesota that involved the public and snowplows.

Many of these of accidents may have been avoided that drivers followed some common sense tips when sharing the road. Here are 7 tips to keep in mind every winter:

Stay alert for snowplows, which turn or exit frequently and often with little warning. They also may travel over center lines or partially in traffic to further improve road conditions.
Stay back at least 10 car lengths behind the plow. Don’t drive into a snow cloud.
Slow down to a safe speed for current conditions.
Turn on your headlights and wear your seat belt. It's a state law to have headlights on when it's snowing and, of course, wearing a seat belt is the law at all times.
Turn off the cruise control.
Be patient and remember snowplows are working to improve road conditions for your trip.
Don’t drive distracted. Stay off your phones, don't look around to engage passengers, and don't worry about your coffee or other concentration busters.

My Grandpa Les always used to say "it's better to get there late than never get there at all", and it's true. Take your time and be safe out there.