When the storm help us all stay Winter plow safety and driving quick tips! When severe winter weather makes our roads treacherous, CSEA members head into the storm to keep New Yorkers safe. Our members whose job duties include keeping the roads • Yield to snowplows. They travel • Be patient. Follow well behind a clear are providing a valuable public service in keeping roads slower than posted speeds. snowplow. safe for emergency vehicles, emergency service workers, • Give snowplow drivers plenty people who provide essential public services and traveling of room to do their jobs. The community members. safest place for you is far behind a For workers responding to winter storms, including state, snowplow. county and municipal highway workers, this often means • Never drive into a spray of snow countless hours of road preparation and snow and ice removal generated by a snowplow. to ensure we can get back to normal as quickly as possible. • Slow down! Never use cruise control To build public awareness and improve safety, CSEA is on wet or icy roads. working again this year to urge drivers to slow down and be • Stay alert. A snowplow weighs 17 patient around snowplows and related vehicles so that we can times more than a car. In a crash, safely do our jobs and keep you safe. occupants of a car are much more — Jill Asencio likely to be seriously injured. 10 The Work Force January 2017 • NEVER pass between tandem plows. • Do not drive beside snowplows. • Check your vehicle. Before you drive, check your tires for adequate tread and inflation, check your windshield wipers and windshield washer fluid. • While four-wheel drive (4WD) helps you get moving and keep moving during the storm, it does not help you stop. Listen for approaching snowplows while shoveling your driveway or sidewalk. Move yourself, children and pets away from the street, snowbanks and cul-de-sacs. It could mean the difference between winter fun and a preventable tragedy. A truck’s wings and plows can span more than 18 feet. As snow falls, 20-foot wide streets get narrower as banks build, pushing us further into the lane. Give snowplows room to work. Put extra space between you and the plow to ensure that snowplow drivers can see you. If you don’t need to be on the roads in a storm, stay home. If you do need to travel, remember that emergency crews’ response times are dependent on roads that are cleared. Remember, plows travel slower and can stop suddenly — don’t speed, don’t crowd and don’t pass. Distracted and drowsy driving also a risk to snowplow operators Worsening aggressive, distracted and drowsy driving amplifies the risk that snowplow operators face when they head out in treacherous conditions to clear roads. As always while driving, don’t talk or text on your mobile phone. Be fully alert during winter weather — ice and snow are difficult enough to handle without added distractions. Clearing the way for winter travel
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