ODOT, AAA urge drivers to stay home as winter storm hits area

A winter storm is hitting the Miami Valley, and the Ohio Department of Transportation and AAA have tips for drivers ahead of the front.

Chris Overpeck, AAA Manager of Fleet Operations, said the first thing you should do before even getting out on the road is to make sure your vehicle is ready to go.

“I can’t preach enough about proper vehicle maintenance making sure you have good tire tred. Your tires are properly inflated. Your heating and cooling systems are working property,” said Overpeck.

He also pointed out the importance of “staying out of the pack” when on the roads.

“We all saw what happened in Texas and in Oklahoma in the last week with all of those multi-car pileups, which is from direct drivers being packed together and not being able to reduce their response time quick enough to stop,” he said.

Mandi Dillon, ODOT Public Information Officer, said the best thing for drivers to do is to stay home if you do not have to go out.

If you do go out, be sure to keep a safe distance from the ODOT plows.

“Unfortunately, last week alone in the state of Ohio we had six of our plows hit while they were just working to keep the roads clear. So, we want to make sure drivers are staying back away from the plows enough to the plows can clear the roads and everyone can make it to their destination safely,” Dillon said.

As drivers prepare for the winter storm, AAA and ODOT are also taking necessary precautions to ensure safety on the roads.

Overpeck said that AAA employees will be coming in early ahead of the front and bringing extra staffing in.

AAA is also double-checking their equipment to make sure everything is maintained and prepared.

Dillon said their crews will be challenged with the bitter cold temperatures and rate at which they are expecting the snow to fall but are ready to go.

“Our crews will be increasing the concentration of calcium chloride with their salt. That sometimes is a little more affective when you get into these teens and single digit temperatures if we are able to put a little calcium chloride in there and also some of the agricultural deicer,” said Dillon.

Cox Media Group