CDOT urges caution to avoid crashes into snowplows
Officials with the Colorado Department of Transportation said there were about 20 snow plows mitigating roads in El Paso County after Monday night's snowstorm, but the freezing blankets of snow on the ground aren't their biggest obstacle.
“Their biggest obstacles are vehicles," said Michell Peulen, Communications Manager with the CDOT. "We also have holiday traffic, so folks who aren’t necessarily from Colorado, or aren’t used to driving in Colorado on snow”
Peulen said she didn't have an exact number of how many of their snow plows are involved in accidents each year, but they did confirm one accident involving a plow that happened the last time we saw snow in El Paso County on December 15.
Peulen said that crash was caused by a driver who attempted to pass the plow on its right side and clipped the plow’s wing in the process.
Fortunately, Peulen said there hasn't been a fatal accident involving a plow during her last five years working for CDOT.
Peuelen said their plow drivers have been on 12-hour snow shifts, with 20 plows out at a time.
They’ll likely stay on that shift if the storm continues in the southwest region of the state.
Click here for a map of snow plows across Colorado.