A new winter safety campaign has been launched by the Ministry of Highways with a series of new Highway Hotline ads that explain its new road condition terminology and a reminder to motorists on the importance of keeping snowplow operators and drivers safe.
"I would like to thank everyone who checks the Highway Hotline to help them make an informed decision before they travel," Highways Minister David Marit said in a release announcing the campaign.
"Knowing current road conditions and maintaining respectful distances from snowplows and other motorists help everyone arrive safely at their destinations."
A father and son are depicted in one of the new ads preparing to embark on an ice fishing trip, delaying their journey as they wait for road conditions to improve. The ad will be shown in movie theatres and on cable television, with a shareable version being hosted on Youtube.
The second is a digital animation recapping the Highway Hotline primary road conditions. In addition to the new ads a video reminding motorists about safety guidelines when travelling around snowplows is making a return.
This updated campaign will help encourage safe driving habits as the nearly 300 provincial snowplows and other winter maintenance equipment serve the nearly 26,000 kilometres of highways in Saskatchewan and is just in time for the second major snowfall event of the season, set to make its way across the province depositing up to 20 centimetres of snow in some regions.
Provincial roads are regularly inspected by snowplow operators to determine if plowing, salt or sand is required. These equipment operators report conditions to update the Highway Hotline, which can be downloaded as a smartphone app, accessed at www.saskatchewan.ca/highwayhotline or by calling 511. Motorists are reminded to download the latest version of the app to take advantage of the newest available features.
Information about snow removal and winter maintenance activities can be found at: https://www.saskatchewan.ca/residents/transportation/highways/highway-safety/winter-safety.