Snowplow Safety

Snow Removal Safety Tips

  1. Stay back at least 30 feet from the rear of a plow truck so the driver can see you. (If you can’t see the driver in his mirrors, he can’t see you.)
  2. Plow trucks are capable of removing multiple lanes of snow while simultaneously spreading salt or sand on the roadways. Avoid passing or driving alongside these trucks.
  3. Park your vehicles in the driveway clear of the roadway and curb. Vehicles parked in the roadway or extending out of driveways and over curbs add to the obstacles the drivers already encounter, which hinders their performance.
  4. Children are attracted to snowplow trucks. Teach your children to stay behind the sidewalks when they see a truck coming. The heavy wet snow coming off the plow is capable of being thrown some distance and can knock down and potentially injure bystanders who are too close.
  5. Children often will make "snow forts" or "igloos" in the snow banks at the edge of the road. This is extremely dangerous, as trucks will often return to bump the snow back to the curb and tear open or collapse these "snow forts."
  6. In heavy snow, it is difficult for the driver to identify the edge of a curb, especially on curves. Placing a marker, such as a survey flag, behind the back of the curb will assist the driver in identifying the curb location and prevent lawn damage.
  7. When snowplow trucks pass by residences, a mound of snow is pushed up against the curb and in front of driveway entrances. This is unavoidable. Residents are encouraged to clear this mound of snow from their driveways before the snow re-freezes and becomes more difficult to remove.
  8. When shoveling your driveway, avoid placing snow into the street to prevent that snow from being pushed back into your driveway by the plow truck. Instead, shovel the snow onto your lawn, if possible or toward the "down street" side of your driveway. ("Down street" is the far side of your driveway in the direction the traffic is moving.)
  9. Portable basketball goals, hockey goals, skate board ramps and other portable structures should be removed from the street to avoid damage to these items and to allow plow trucks to reach the curb.