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SALT LAKE CITY — As state plows hit the roads to clear the snow Thursday afternoon, plow drivers described the kind of dangers they run into every time they're plowing snow in traffic.
"You have people trying to get in between us, and they won't give us the room to work," said Jake Brown, a roadway operations manager with the Utah Department of Transportation.
The veteran snowplow driver was on the road Thursday to watch his crews at work as commuter traffic was picking up. He saw what his plow drivers always see: "Close calls every day." Motorists crowd the plows as they try to clear the roads, putting themselves and the plow drivers in danger.
"All hands on deck in the commute," Brown said as he rolled along with four plows in formation across I-15.
Instead of driving defensively and giving plenty of space, Brown saw drivers risking safety and tailgating to get ahead of the plows.
When we come up behind plows, Brown urges everyone to stay back 100 yards — a full football field.
"You have people racing up the shoulder. They do not want to be behind us," Browns said.
The Utah Highway Patrol recommends never attempting to pass a snowplow, and don't split the plows while they're plowing in tandem.
"You have people trying to get in between us. Give us the room to work," Brown said as an SUV drove between two of the plows and got bogged down in deep slush.
The shower of slush thrown off by the plows can easily block a driver's vision and damage their car if they attempt to pass. In 2012, several motorists collided with state plows while trying to pass.
In one of those wrecks, "a lady tried to pass the plow, and as she passed the plow, she spun out and ended up coming nose to nose with the plow," Brown said. "I bet that was a scary moment."
Plow blades extend three feet or more beyond the width of the truck and can tear a car open. When the plows are in formation, don't expect them to drive like regular motorists either.
"We may swing over, grab an extra lane, grab a shoulder, we may move back-and-forth," Brown said.
Brown suggests giving yourself extra time to get where you're going when the roads are snowy. If you end up behind the plows, take your time, consider it a safe escort as long as you're headed the same direction.
"You don't want to wreck your vehicle," Brown said. "So let the plows do their job. They'll eventually get out of your way."
