As winter weather continues to blanket the southeast, snowplows are out in full force across Estevan. City safety coordinator Helen Fornwald is urging drivers to stay vigilant and give snow removal crews plenty of space on the roads to help ensure everyone's safety.
Helen Fornwald, Estevan's city safety coordinator, shares advice on how to stay safe when sharing the road with snowplows.
“First of all, if you can avoid being on the streets today at all costs, that would be wonderful to allow us the opportunity to get caught up with the snow that’s come down. But it’s important to give lots of space between you and the equipment,” she said.
Fornwald reminded drivers to maintain a safe distance and stay alert when driving near snowplows.
“Please don’t assume that the equipment operator sees you. Because they are a large piece of equipment, they have lots of moving parts and they do have blind spots.”
She added that it’s important to stop and use caution to ensure the operator sees you before you proceed.
Plows can be identified by flashing lights on the vehicles. “We have the same colours that the Department of Highways have, so they’re the coloured flashing light. So if you are travelling along, the conditions are less than adequate for visibility. Pay attention to those flashing lights, because that means caution, slow down and make sure that you get the equipment operators to see you,” she said.
These tips are relevant year-round, as similar safety precautions apply to large summer equipment. “We have our snow removal crews out during the winter, that’s for sure, but it’s also in the summertime, we’ve got the grader operators, we’ve got loader operators that are out and those big equipment all have blind spots too. So it’s important to use caution when you see all the City of Estevan equipment on the road,” Fornwald said.