43
ODOT reminds motorists to use winter driving skills
Video
By D.A. WILKINSON and DAVID SKOLNICK
About 1 to 2 inches of snow is expected today in the Mahoning Valley.
With snow expected through Friday, motorists should heed two simple words of advice: Be careful!
“Many motorists have forgotten the winter driving skills they developed the previous winter, and that first snow just seems to be really slippery,” said Becky McCarthy, an Ohio Department of Transportation spokeswoman.
“We have so many months of nice weather, people tend to forget the driving skills they used before,” she said.
Snow is in the forecast for the Mahoning Valley today, Thursday and Friday.
About 0.1 of an inch of snow fell Sunday. Well over an inch fell by Monday afternoon at the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport in Vienna, according to the National Weather Service.
It’s not going to get any better in the next few days.
About 1 to 2 inches is expected today, with the more possible in the snowbelt areas of northern Trumbull County.
There is a chance of snow Thursday and Friday.
No snow is expected Saturday and Sunday, but there is a chance of rain on the latter day, said Tom King, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Cleveland.
It wasn’t that long ago — Nov. 3 to 7 — that the Valley had five straight days with a high temperature of at least 70 degrees. The average high in the Valley during that time is about 52 degrees.
ODOT is reminding motorists that the first winter storm is always the worst — and they’re not talking about snow.
We’ve all dealt with drivers going 75 miles per hour on snow and ice who want to ride your bumper, change lanes or stop on a dime.
“Whether it’s November or February, we want drivers to remember that if there’s ‘Ice and Snow ... Take it Slow,’” said Dick Bible, ODOT District 11’s deputy director.
The slogan wasn’t being used by some motorists on slick roads Monday morning in Trumbull County where there were several fender benders.
“Winter driving is just not normal,” Bible said.
Another problem is travel conditions that change from mile to mile.
“You can have snow and ice on one road on one side of a county, and on other side there is clear and dry pavement,” McCarthy added.
Lt. Eric Escola of the Ohio State Highway Patrol reminded drivers to use extra caution on bridges and overpasses.
“Bridges and overpasses always freeze first, especially this time of year. Additionally, speed limits are for when pavement is clear and dry,” he said.
Motorists may also visit ODOT’s Web site — BuckeyeTraffic.org — for up-to-the-minute road conditions.
skolnick@vindy.com