The year 2024 is just 19 days old at this point, and the Ohio Department of Transportation has already reported nine snow plow trucks have been hit by passing cars. That’s more than twice the number of driver-on-plow-truck impacts compared to the same period in 2023.
The state of Ohio employs 1,700 trucks to clear the Buckeye’s 262,492 miles of roadway. There hasn’t really been all that much snow in Ohio so far this year, but these big behemoths are also used to spread salt, WBNS reports:
“Our plow trucks are very large vehicles, they have a lot of moving parts. Our drivers are monitoring the situation with the snow in front of them they are dropping salt behind them so they have got a lot of moving parts. We just want to remind drivers to give us as much room as possible so they are able to clear the roads,” said Hannah Salem with ODOT District 6.
Across all of 2023, there were a total of 56 crashes involving drivers hitting ODOT crews, including everything from plow trucks to road construction crews. That was down significantly from 2022’s 153 incidents. The plow trucks are big and bright and the lights are flashing, it’s not as though they’re hiding. There’s no reason to get worked up and try to rush passing a plow truck. Wherever you’re going can wait for you to get there safely, so I (and ODOT) encourage you to wait for a safe and comfortable place to pass where you can give the plow truck a wide berth.
“It is frustrating as a driver because my eyes are on my material, my blade, I am trying to watch as I am throwing my snow and then to look over and I have got a car in my blind spot that is passing me really close at hand, that is not a good situation for me or that driver because the last thing I want to see is someone hurt as a result of trying to get around me while I am clearing the roads,” offered Ohio plow truck driver Matt McGuire. “The more room you can give us, the happier we will be and the clearer we can get the roads in less time.”