Winter has been hitting Alberta on and off this season.
With every snowfall there are about 700 snowplows out on the roads to ensure the safety of drivers. In Alberta there are 30 to 40 collisions a year that happen while drivers are attempting to pass snowplows.
Before September 1, only truck drivers and first responders were protected under the Traffic Safety Act. Since then, all roadside workers stopped on the side roads that have their hazards on are covered by the act.
More often than not, snowplow operators don’t have the best visibility on the roads and have larger blind spots, making passing or driving too close to them extremely dangerous. Drivers must not pass snowplows when the view on the side of the plows are blocked in some way, if passing would hold up the operator or if passing cannot be done safely. To prevent any accidents, drivers will allow vehicles to pass every five to eight kilometres, or when it is safe for them to do so.
If drivers fail to comply with the new rules they could receive a fine of $324 and three demerits.
