Winter weather is here in full blown action. There is more snow to expect in the coming days and this will mean more challenging driving conditions ahead. It also means that you can expect to find more snowplows on the road that make the roads better places to drive. This is why it is incredibly important to encourage safe driving around snowplows.
Snowplows
A snowplow is the big blade that is attached in front of a snow clearing vehicle. It is not the vehicle itself, but in the winter, people will refer to the snowplow and the vehicle as one unit because both serve the special purpose of clearing the road from snow. The plow cuts off all ice and snow away from the road, while the vehicle helps move the blades.
The first snowplows were wooden blades attached to horses. As cars became the means of transportation, it gave way to metal plows that are mounted in front of trucks and other large machines. A snow plow today is made of steel. If there is plenty of snow on the road, snowplow drivers today will usually use trucks, and mount the plow in front of it.
Not only that, to make their job even more efficient, they use a blower to spray ice-melting salt on the road. This makes it easier to scrape away the ice with the help of a snow plow. They also use a blower to blow the snow away from the roads. A snowplow driver’s main concern is to clear all the major arteries and bus roads from extensive. After they have cleared the major areas, they move on to the subdivisions and streets.
Driving Alongside Snowplows
It is very unfortunate that most drivers have no regard for snowplows and they try to disrupt them when driving behind them. When plowing at residential streets, it is inevitable that a snowplow will blow ice on top of a car that is parked along the streets. Even though this infuriates many drivers, they must realize that it is for their own good.
Another time when drivers get angry is when they are driving behind a plow truck and want to get past it but can’t. In order for the plow truck to do its job, it must drive slowly. Therefore, the best way to avoid a fatal accident when you see a snowplow ahead is to bear with it and drive slowly behind it at a distance.
Only pass the snowplow when you are absolutely sure that the road ahead is safe. Other considerations will include visibility, so that you can see the tail light of the snowplow to know when it is changing lanes or braking. Lastly, make sure that you are away from its blind spot.
At the end of the day, what matters is going back home safely without any disruption. You do not want to drive the vehicles too fast beside the plow since there is snow spraying off from one side of the wing.
