COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio Department of Transportation said that 14 snowplows have been hit while clearing roadways so far this year, with four incidents happening on Friday alone.
One of the crashes happened in Madison County when a driver pulled out in front of a snowplow.
ODOT posted a video of the crash to X, along with a statement that read: “Pay attention when you see our crews on the roads. Our drivers aim to help you reach your destination safely, and their safety matters too.”
Another snowplow was hit at 7:30 p.m. on Friday in Delaware County, just off U.S. Route 36 and west of Interstate 71. The Delaware County Sheriff’s Office investigated the crash and the driver who hit the snowplow was charged with OVI.
The sheriff's office said that no one was injured, but the driver’s car was impounded, and her license was suspended.
“Our plow trucks are very large vehicles [and] they have a lot of moving parts. We just want to remind drivers to give us as much room as possible, so they are able to clear the roads,” said Hannah Salem with ODOT District 6.
When a plow is hit, Salem said it can also slow down the response to snow emergencies.
On Jan. 17 in Cleveland, dashcam video from an ODOT snowplow shows a truck crash into the plow from the shoulder of a highway.
In a similar incident in Miami County earlier this month on Interstate 75, another car struck a plow while traveling on the left shoulder.
Matt Bruning at ODOT shared that the first crash happened on Jan. 7 and there is now an average of one snowplow hit per day.
Matt McGuire has been behind the wheel of a snowplow for the last five years. He said it is distracting when cars get too close.
“It is frustrating as a driver because my eyes are on my material, my blade. I am trying to watch as I am throwing my snow and then to look over and I have got a car in my blind spot that is passing me really close at hand, that is not a good situation for me or that driver because the last thing I want to see is someone hurt as a result of trying to get around me while I am clearing the roads,” McGuire said.
When he is out on the roads, he hopes drivers are considerate of his safety and their own.
“The more room you can give us, the happier we will be and the clearer we can get the roads in less time,” McGuire said.
In 2023, 56 ODOT crews were struck, down from 153 incidents in 2022.