As components of the Higher Peninsula put together for the primary vital snowfall of the yr, and with the Thanksgiving vacation simply across the nook, the Michigan Division of Transportation (MDOT) needs to remind drivers to decelerate and be cautious on wintry roadways.
Whereas highway companies work to maintain our highways protected within the winter, drivers should take duty for attending to their locations safely.
“MDOT and native company upkeep crews have years of expertise and improved expertise at their disposal to deal with winter climate, however they’ll solely accomplish that a lot,” stated MDOT Superior Area Operations Engineer Jason DeGrand. “We wish drivers to know that we’ll be out working to clear roads as shortly as attainable, however drivers should take duty for security after they get behind the wheel. Because the climate will get worse, drivers must decelerate and go away loads of house between automobiles.”
After months of driving on principally dry surfaces and with higher visibility, it’s time to remind everybody that driving in wintry circumstances might be hazardous. The statistics are stark: of the greater than 43,000 whole crashes reported within the Higher Peninsula from 2016 to 2020, 27.7 % (11,991) had been winter weather-related, in accordance with the Michigan State Police (MSP) Felony Justice Data Middle. Throughout this era, 52 folks had been killed and 258 critically injured in crashes on icy, snowy, or slushy roads.
MDOT and the MSP have collected a wealth of assets to assist drivers put together to satisfy winter safely:
- MSP’s Workplace of Freeway Security Planning has launched a web site (Michigan.gov/WinterDriving) full of suggestions and helpful assets. Drivers can discover well timed recommendation there on planning a protected route, the right way to management their car, what to do in an emergency, passenger security, tire suggestions, and extra.
- MDOT’s Mi Drive web site is a helpful on-line software that will help you get to your vacation spot safely. By going to Michigan.gov/Drive, motorists get entry to tons of of cameras exhibiting state freeway circumstances in actual time, in addition to highway backups or closures attributable to climate, crashes or different incidents.
- The companies have partnered to provide a video with info on how roads are maintained every winter and the actions motorists ought to take now to be ready for inclement driving circumstances.
