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Cold temperatures making car rescues along roadways harder

Experts say hundreds of cars are still stranded around Columbus and the frigid temperatures are making it harder this year than ever before for retrieval.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Transportation experts say hundreds of cars are still stranded around Columbus and the frigid temperatures are making it harder this year than ever before for retrieval.

"This is probably the worst storm we've seen in quite awhile. I don't remember the last time we saw this much snow with this cold of temperatures,” Jordan Davis with Capital Towing and Recovery said. 

Since the storm hit, Davis says his team has rescued close to 500 vehicles.

"The salt's not working as well as it should and people are getting stuck, and it's unsafe to be in their vehicles once they break down just because of the low temperatures,” Davis said.

If your car gets stuck on the road, if safety permits, Davis recommends leaving your vehicle as soon as possible.

"If you don't have to be in your car, if you have somewhere to get somewhere safe, do that, call a towing company, the towing company can pick up your car without you being there if that's the case,” Davis said.

Davis says it’s unsafe to stay in your car.

"You don't want to get hit by another passing motorist, it is very cold, if you're car's not running you don't want to get frost bite. There's lots of safety concerns if you're going to be there for awhile,” he said.

The Ohio Department of Transportation say they have 380 plows out across the state. They say plows will always drive slower because they cannot push snow off the highway at a high speed. 

Pavement temps are currently still below freezing so have patience as ODOT continues to work to clear the rows.

Kevin Thomas, Regional President of AAA, says intersections that haven't been cleared are some of the most dangerous areas.

To keep everyone safe, Thomas says give yourself extra time before you hit the road so you can drive slow and keep plenty of distance between yourself and other drivers. 

One of the biggest things they say they're seeing on the road is dead batteries. He recommends testing your batteries regularly - if your battery is three years old or older, consider replacing it.

Prepare ahead of time so you don't get stranded.

“Do you have wiper fluid? Do you have good wipers? Do you have supplies in your car like an emergency kit, in case you get it behind a very bad crash where an hour drive that you are expecting might end up being an afternoon in your vehicle waiting for rescue,” says Thomas.

Thomas recommends keeping blankets, gloves, snacks and water in your vehicle along with a charged phone and charger incase you do get stuck.

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