Clearfield, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), Pennsylvania State Police, Penn Highlands Healthcare, and the Highway Safety Network observed Winter Driving Awareness Week with a press conference today where they stressed the importance of postponing any unnecessary travel during a winter storm. If travel is unavoidable, they also stressed the life-saving benefits of seat belts.

“Staying off the road ensures that you and your family are safe from becoming stranded or crashing during a winter storm, and it helps PennDOT do our part to keep the roads passable,” said PennDOT District 2 Assistant Highway Maintenance Manager Joe Carfley. “If you must travel, knowing what to expect from PennDOT and being prepared are some of your best tools for staying safe.”

Carfley said that PennDOT monitors weather forecasts before the onset of a storm so it can judge when to call crews into action. If the forecast warrants it, he said that crews may perform anti-icing ahead of a storm. Anti-icing involves treating the road with brine (saltwater) before freezing precipitation starts to fall. The water part of the brine evaporates and the salt that remains helps prevent ice from forming a strong bond with the road surface. He stressed, however, that anti-icing isn’t appropriate for every storm and that crews generally don’t pretreat with salt brine when a storm is forecast to start as rain (rain will wash the material away) or when enough salt residue from a previous storm remains.

During the storm, Carfley told drivers not to expect the roads to be free of ice and snow. He explained that if snow is falling at a rate of one inch per hour and a truck takes three hours to return to the start of its route, three inches of snow has fallen. If there is significant traffic on the roadways, this increases the amount of time for a plow operator to complete their route. He also noted that PennDOT treats major highways first before moving to the less-traveled rural roads. Sometimes equipment is redirected from assigned rural routes to assist with plowing heavily traveled roads first.

Community Affairs Officer for PSP Troop C Ron Chewning said that preparation is vital if travel is unavoidable during a winter storm. He said this starts with making sure your vehicle is ready for ice and snow and recommended that drivers have a mechanic check the brakes, battery, hoses, and belts.

Chewning also recommended packing a winter emergency kit in your vehicle any time you travel. Some of the items he suggested include a flashlight with extra batteries, jumper cables, snow-shovel, matches and candles, first aid supplies, extra sets of warm clothing and gloves, a blanket, ice scraper, bottled water, and non-perishable food.

Chewning also touted the usefulness of visiting www.511PA.com. For checking conditions on major roadways. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information, and access to more than 1,000 traffic cameras. 511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following local alerts on X.

“Since earning our level 2 trauma center designation this summer, we’re seeing a lot of patients come into the trauma bays here at Penn Highlands DuBois after a crash that were not wearing their seat belts,” said Trauma Program Manager for Penn Highlands Healthcare Holly Hertlein. There just aren’t any good reasons not to wear your seat belt. Not only is it the law, but it also prevents injuries and saves lives.”

Hertlein cited National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) data that shows wearing your seatbelt increases your chances of surviving a crash by up to 60%. Despite this, many people in Pennsylvania still aren’t buckling up.

Hertlein said there is a misconception among pickup truck drivers and passengers that their larger vehicles will protect them more than other vehicles would in a crash. The data, she said, paints a different picture. Of pickup truck occupants who were killed in 2021, 61% were not buckled. That’s compared to 47% of passenger car occupants who were not wearing seat belts when they were killed.

Another misconception centers around seating position, Hertlein said. Many people incorrectly believe they are safe in the back seat unrestrained. However, of all front-seat passenger vehicle occupants killed in crashes in 2021, 49% were unrestrained. But 57% of those killed in back seats were unrestrained.

Motorists can visit www.PennDOT.pa.gov/winter to research winter operations, winter facts, winter storm tactics, and more.

For more information on the lifesaving benefits of wearing seat belts, visit www.PennDOT.pa.gov/Safety