CLEVELAND — According to the Ohio Department of Transportation, 43 of its snowplows have been hit this winter. A number close to last year's total of 54 snow plows hit.
Four of those hits were added during this weekend's winter storm. Matt Bruning with ODOT said this weekend's conditions made driving tough. The intensity of the snow reduced visibility. The sheer amount of snow the plows were cleaning up had drivers working long hours.
ODOT said speeding cars are a constant factor in these crashes. Bruning said drivers get comfortable and increase their speed when they come across a clean road, not realizing a slow-moving plow is up ahead.
Those speeds, combined with the icy, snowy conditions and the lack of space between vehicles, are usually what create these kinds of crashes. Cars often spin out or clip the plow blade and crash in front of it.
"These are the kinds of crashes that are 100% preventable," Bruning said. "They shouldn't occur, and they just wouldn't occur if people would be a little more cautious when they're driving around our snow plows."
Drivers can prevent these accidents by simply giving the snowplows the space they need. That means staying back two to three car lengths when you're behind a plow. If you have to pass a snowplow, try to keep a lane between you and the plow.
If you use the Waze navigation app, you can be alerted to where ODOT plows are on your route.
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