GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — With expectations of lake-effect snow to impact West Michigan, the Kent County Road Commission is getting ready for intense weather and asking drivers to be prepared for difficult conditions.
“Those are probably the most dangerous for people because you can go from dry pavement and sunshine to a white-out two or three miles down the road,” said Kent County Road Commission Director of Operations Jerry Byrne. “Years-past, we've seen multicar accidents because people don't slow down, going into that white-out when they can't see, so it does take a group effort.”
As the commission completes their transition from roadwork to storm preps and readies their equipment and crews, they ask drivers to not only slow down, but be aware of their work trucks.
- DO NOT CROWD THE PLOW: MAINTAIN SAFE DISTANCE
Snowplows are large and operators cannot see directly behind the truck. - SLOW DOWN WHEN YOU SEE A SNOWPLOW
Snow plows travel at a slower speed; the most common crashes are motorists hitting the rear end of the plow. Stay alert and watch for a plow’s green and amber lights. - DO NOT PASS PLOW ON RIGHT
Plows push snow to the right shoulder, and many are equipped with a wing plow – a 6-8 foot extension on the right-hand side of the plow. This wing is difficult to see and can do harm to a passing car. - DO NOT PASS IN A SNOW CLOUD
Be sure the road ahead is clear of vehicles or snowdrifts before attempting to pass on the left. A snow cloud could be caused by crosswinds or by a snowplow, so be patient. - REMEMBER: PLOWS DO MORE THAN PLOW
Plow trucks also spread salt and deicing agents may spray your car. Maintain a safe distance between your car and the snowplow and be extremely cautious when passing on the left. Remember – do NOT pass a snowplow on the right.
The commission also advises that drivers’ vehicles are maintained in good working order.
- Check the condition of the tires or consider snow/winter tires
- Replace the wiper blades, if needed
- Fill up on antifreeze and window-washer fluid, check your brake fluid and engine oil as well
- Ensure the battery has sufficient charge
- Try to keep the gas tank full
With more than 100 trucks expected to be treating Kent County’s roadways, Byrne said it’s important for drivers to pay attention to the snowfall.
“If it snows with the intensity that we're talking about over the course of the next three or four days, we're not going to take that salt and just try to melt it in give bare pavement, we're going to mechanically scrape that snow off the road so people aren't driving through four or five, six inches of slush or six inches of snow,” Byrne explained. “When a storm subsides and we can melt off that last inch of ice or snow or half inch ice or snow, then we're going to put that salt to bear it up. But just dumping that salt on is not good for the environment. It's not good for the pocketbooks – it’s not good for infrastructure. It doesn't make sense to have bare payments when it's snowing like crazy. People need to slow down. And we'll give them the best at Mother Nature allows."
The State of Michigan offers an Auto Emergency Preparedness Kit Checklist online. To see the latest forecast, click here.
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.