Police encourage motorists to yield to snowplows

Ontario Provincial Police is warning motorists not to attempt to pass Ministry of Transportation (MTO) snowplows while they are clearing major highways.

They report there have been six collisions between vehicles and snowplows on Highway 401 within the municipalities of Napanee, Quinte West and Northumberland County since the middle of December and there have been similar incidents in other parts of the province.

"Ontario winters are challenging for motorists, as well as for MTO staff and contractors responsible for snow and ice control on provincial highways," commented Chief Superintendent Bill Grodzinski, commander of OPP's Highway Safety Division. "Road user safety is the top priority of the OPP and MTO and every effort is made to ensure highways are safe and to provide efficient winter maintenance service to the driving public."

Winter maintenance on provincial highways is routinely done with the help of snowplows operating across all lanes of the highway. The "echelon" method of clearing snow, with plows staggered across all lanes at once, is the safest and most efficient snow removal method for multi-lane highways.

To do the job right, snowplows and salt and sand spreaders take up more room than a normal vehicle and travel at considerably slower speeds. Sight lines and visibility near a moving snowplow are severely restricted. Motorists should remain at a safe distance when they see the flashing blue lights of these vehicles.

Motorists are encouraged to take the time to ensure they are well prepared for winter road conditions and always adjust their speed to existing weather conditions.