ITD Launches New Winter-driving Safety Campaign

TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KLIX) – If you’ve ever driven on icy roads behind a snowplow, you know there are certain things you should do.

Or maybe you don’t know. No worries, because the Idaho Transportation Department will teach you.

The department, as part of its Winter Safety Campaign, recently released a new video in its series of five that give drivers information on best practices for traveling safely in winter.

“We’ve done individual efforts in the past, but what we really want to do moving forward is give people more quick and to-the-point access to watch videos and learn safety tips that they can use every winter,” Adam Rush, ITD’s public involvement coordinator, told Newsradio1310. “It’s really interactive.”

Among other topics, videos in the series will give information on how to maintain your car during the cold months, making it safe for winter driving, and safety tips when driving near snowplows.

For instance: “They sweep water and ice to the side of the road, you have to give them extra space,” Rush said. “When passing a snowplow, drivers should always pass on the left, never on the right.”

To access the safety info, dial 511 on any phone or visit the website, where you also can check highway conditions by viewing feed from the many cameras the department has set up on Interstate 84/86. The website also links to neighboring states’ 511 traveler information for drivers heading to Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington or Wyoming.

Rush said he’s excited about the public’s response to its 511 site – over the past 10 years it’s received around 23 million visitors, he said – but he’s even more excited about making additional information available to Idaho drivers, starting with the current safety campaign.

The department has planned five videos for the campaign, he said, and is evaluating possible topics for additional videos for summer.

“At that time there’s road maintenance, the sealing of highways, reduced speed limits, detour routes, flaggers to watch out for,” he said. “Safety is a concern for us all year long.”