GRAND HAVEN TOWNSHIP, Mich. — “It was Christmas day, my first year plowing. I plowed Lake Michigan Drive. I was running the shoulder, and a van went to pass me, and they got lost in the slush and hit a car head on, coming the other way.”
An incident early in Ian Foltz’s career as a snowplow driver is a clear indicator as to why drivers should be cautious around snowplows that are clearing the roads. He is a veteran of 11 years driving a plow for the Ottawa County Road Commission.
“If you stay behind us, stay back, and you'll get to your place a lot better,” he says.
A new state law requires 200 feet between you and a snowplow ahead of you. That’s about 10-12 car lengths and much more distance most drivers give.
“People like to ride us,” Foltz laments, “like get right by us.”
Being close to a snowplow might make you think it’s easier for the plow driver to see you. The opposite is true.
“We can't see cars that are behind us. If you can't see our mirrors, we can't see you. So, we just are driving assuming that there's nobody there, and then if you go to pass really quick, that's when accidents happen.”
None of this means it’s illegal to pass an operating snowplow, unless you try it on the right. That is illegal.
And it’s really dangerous. Many plows have what’s called a “wing,” a plow that sticks out several feet on the right side of the plow to increase the vehicle’s capacity to clear snow. Sometimes the wing kicks up so much snow that a following driver won’t see it. Plus, the wing is heavy and would do serious damage to another vehicle.
Foltz notes that there are good times to pass his plow.
“The safest time to pass is usually if we're doing intersections. We'll get over to the side, and you can get around. Or, a lot of times we'll run the shoulder really slow, and then just make sure you have a clear path, and you can get around us.”
When a plow is parked on the shoulder, remember Michigan’s “Move Over” law: Move over into the next lane if there is one and it’s safe. If not, slow down to 10 miles-per-hour under the speed limit.
Tips from Michigan State Police
How far is 200 feet?
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