Winter weather is just around the corner and the Illinois Department of Transportation wants to give drivers a refresher on the most important things to keep in mind while navigating treacherously icy roads.
Though snow plows may not be visible until winter, IDOT Bureau Chief of Operations Anna Ghidina says that maintaining and preparing them is a year-round process.
“We’re looking at maybe potentially next week we might have some winter weather,” Peoria Public Works Communications Specialist Nicholas McMillion said at a Tuesday press event. “We obviously live in Central Illinois, where winter weather does happen and does happen frequently. So, if you do have a winter preparedness kit in your vehicle, take this time, this weekend, the next few days, to go through it.”
At a minimum, Ghidina says a winter kit should include a blanket, a coat, hand warmers and a cell phone charger. It could also include snacks, a flashlight and other tools that could potentially come in handy during a winter driving emergency.
Once you start seeing plows on the road, Ghidina reminds drivers: keep your distance.
“We want them to stay back at least three car lengths behind, giving our plow drivers plenty of room,” she said. “We don’t want you to crowd the plow, because bad things can happen if you get close to the plow.”
Ghidina explains that plow drivers are focused intently on the task of clearing the road, while also managing the operation of a large vehicle with significant blind spots.
Matthew Shockley, who's operated IDOT snow plows for six years, has a simple request for what drivers should keep in mind.
“Safety,” he said. “Drive slow and be vigilant of, you know, the big orange trucks in front of you.”
In total, IDOT has just over 300 employees on snow removal duty this season, including almost 150 seasonal employees. Ghidina says IDOT is still hiring for the season. According to statistics from the department, snow removal costs as much as $9 million a year, uses almost 47 thousand tons of salt and requires more than 160 individual trucks and heavy machinery.
Snow removal is a massive undertaking on a state level, on the municipal level Peoria’s preparations have also been underway for months.
“In a major snowstorm, we will go on 12 hour shifts. So our snow plow drivers will work from 7 am to 7 pm and then they’ll work 7 pm to 7 am, the second shift crew,” explained McMillion. “And that 12 hour continuous shift will continue until conditions ultimately improve.”
That work can mean a few different things, including plowing, salting and treating roads. McMillion says every single winter storm is different.
“Whether you have wind, whether it’s more ice, whether it’s more snow, extreme colds, there’s always different situations that our drivers and our residents need to prepare for differently,” he said. “So, in the City of Peoria, if it comes to a situation, and it will come to a situation this winter, almost guaranteed that we will be on 12 hour shifts.”
If you do end up sliding off the road or getting into an accident while driving this winter, officials are stressing the importance of remaining in your car.
“Just in case something else were to happen,” said Ghidina. “If you are outside, your chances of getting hit increase exponentially. So, we really want you to stay in your car.”
You can find more information about winter driving from IDOT here.
