BOISE, Idaho —
In the last two weeks, there have been six total collisions involving snowplows and drivers across Idaho. Four of which involved drivers hitting plows, and two with drivers forcing plows off the road. Most of the collisions occurred after drivers tried passing the snowplows on the right.
Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) wants to remind drivers that their trucks have two plows: one on the front, and another that extends from the right side called a wing plow. The trucks have lights to indicate the presence of the wing plow, however, during snowstorms the lights may not be visible to drivers.
ITD reported that so far this winter, snowplow accidents have occurred in nearly every region of the state. The most recent incident occurred Monday morning on I-90 near Osbourne where a vehicle attempted to pass the plow on the right, struck the wing plow, and forced the truck off the road. The driver fled the scene and Idaho State Police are investigating the incident.
Previous incidents occurred near: Rose Lake, Moscow, Twin Falls, Ashton, and Winchester.
"This time of year, drivers need to take their time and never pass a plow on the right," said Jerry Wilson, ITD’s operations engineer for North Idaho. "Let's all get home safely."
To date, no one has been injured from snowplow collisions this winter. However, after an incident, snowplows must be checked for damage before they can be placed back into service. Stretching resources thin and directly impacting driving conditions.
ITD encourages people to look up road conditions before driving by visiting 511.idaho.gov
For winter driving tips people can also visit itd.idaho.gov/travel.
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