Drivers Urged to Use Caution During Winter Storm

Maryland State Police are urging drivers to use caution and think twice before heading out this weekend due to the potential snow storm.

Here are the recommendations from state troopers:

• Stay home this weekend unless the nature of your employment requires you to travel (emergency responder, medical profession, snow removal etc.);
• Maryland State Police will begin towing vehicles currently abandoned more than 24 hours prior to the storms arrival;
• Once the snow emergency plan is put in place for a particular county, abandoned vehicles will be towed immediately;
• If you have to drive, ensure you are driving a vehicle equipped for snow travel;
• Don’t abandon your vehicle on a snow emergency route (interstate, MD or US route) without notifyingMaryland State Police or the police agency responsible for that particular roadway;
• If you have called a private tow to remove your vehicle, let Maryland State Police know so we don’t dispatch resources to have it removed;
• If you have an accident, move your vehicle out of the travel portion of the roadway if possible and contact Maryland State Police;
• Give snow plows room to work and do not try to pass a plow train;
• If your vehicle is towed, contact the barrackor local police agency where it was abandoned with a full description (make, model, tag number and exact location) so the towing company information can be provided to you for pickup.

“For this snow storm, drivers should make informed decisions before they leave home because once you are on the highway, it may be too late to change your mind,” Maryland State Police Superintendent Colonel William Pallozzi said. “Make every effort to say off the highways if at all possible during the snow storm. Troopers are ready to address traffic crashes and delays and will be working in coordination with the State Highway Administration, Maryland Emergency Management Agency and other related agencies.”

Drivers can take advantage of the live traffic cameras made available by the State Highway Administration. The traffic cameras are positioned at various locations throughout Maryland and can give drivers important information about their route of travel before leaving. The cameras and other real-time traffic information can be found by visiting www.roads.maryland.gov and clicking on “commuter” and then clicking on “live traffic.” Additional information concerning road conditions can be obtained on line at www.511md.org or by calling 5-1-1.

Citizens are urged not to call Maryland State Police barrack to simply check on road conditions. Calls to police or 9-1-1 centers during the storm should be for emergency situations only.

Troopers will again be working with State Highway Administration’s Coordinated Highway Action Response Team and tow companies throughout the state to remove abandoned vehicles so that snow removal operations can be efficiently conducted. When snow emergency plans are placed into effect, motorists are not permitted to park on the shoulders of an interstate or state highway and vehicles left there will be towed.

Motorists whose vehicles are towed from an interstate or a state highway by State Police can determine where their vehicles were taken by contacting the Maryland State Police barrack in the county where they abandoned their vehicles. A complete list of barracks can be found at the Maryland State Police website at www.mdsp.maryland.gov. Commercial vehicles are invited to wait out the storm at one of the Maryland State Police scale house parking lots that will be available overnight. These locations are also available on the State Police website at http://mdsp.maryland.gov/Organization/Pages/InspectionFacilities.aspx.

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