With winter road conditions forecast for this weekend, drivers need to be prepared for winter travel. Check road conditions and weather reports before traveling, then drive for conditions. Information on how to prepare your vehicle, your family and yourself, and guidance for safe winter driving is available online at: www.wsdot.wa.gov/winter .

Drivers who are going too fast for conditions or who haven’t prepared for winter driving can cause delays to other drivers, can cause damage to other vehicles or highway hardware, and can injure themselves and their passengers.

Drivers can check ahead for road and weather conditions on the WSDOT internet site at: wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/trafficalerts/ or by using a home telephone or cellular phone to dial the 5-1-1 traffic and road condition information service.

This web site and telephone service has mountain pass information and conditions on major highways in the seven-county WSDOT Eastern Region.

Motorists also need to keep some tips in mind for winter driving.
- Clear snow and ice from all windows before you drive.
- Pay attention. Don’t try to out-drive the conditions.
- Leave plenty of room for stopping.
- Leave room for maintenance vehicles and plows. Stay back at least 200 feet. There may be flying sand from the back of the truck.
- Never pass a snowplow on the right. There may be a wing plow blade extending out from the plow truck, plus the plow is probably pushing snow off to the right.
- Remember, the road behind the plow is better than the road in front of it.
- Don’t get overconfident in your 4x4 vehicle or with studded tires.
- Watch out for slippery bridge decks, even when the rest of the road is in good condition.
- Don’t use cruise control.
- Look farther ahead in traffic than you normally do.
- Don’t follow too closely.
- Slow down!

Crews from the Washington State Department of Transportation, Eastern Region are now fully prepared to handle snow and ice control duties. About 200 crew members working two shifts, seven days per week are assigned to the 1,600 miles of state highways in the seven northeastern counties in the state, including Washington’s highest mountain pass-Sherman Pass at 5,575 feet above sea level. The Region snow and ice control cost is about $13.7 million for the two-year budget cycle.

Snow and ice control crews and equipment are based at 20 locations throughout the region. The crews use 93 snowplows, most of which include a truck-mounted road sander as their primary tool. The Region also operates 14 liquid anti-ice chemical trucks. When the big snows fall and are combined with high winds, like last winter, three highway snow blowers are put into service to clear drifts. Maintenance teams are normally on duty from around 4:00 a.m. to midnight or later. The exact hours of each shift will vary slightly at different locations.

Remember, slow down and don’t follow too closely. Drive safe this winter.