In the winter of 2017-18, there were 84 collisions involving motorists and Minnesota Department of Transportation snowplows. That was a substantial increase over the 55 crashes reported the winter before, and it was the most in the past four winters.
With a simple invention, Nate Smith, part of the agency's Safety Innovation Team, hopes to make things safer for both plow operators and motorists and to bring crash numbers down.
The team came up with the idea for a lighted plow marker, which looks sort of like a lightsaber from the "Star Wars" movies. The markers are plastic tubes that Smith stuffs with LED rope lights and mounts on the outer edges of the plow's blades. The goal is to make it easier for motorists to see the edges of the blades so they don't hit them.
The markers could be particularly helpful for highlighting the wing blades on the sides of plows that often are used for clearing snow from shoulders and turn lanes and are difficult for motorists to see at night. Last year, wing blades were struck eight times.
Plows often kick up giant plumes of snow and obscure vision for motorists and plow drivers. Snow clouds can hide the plows' strobe lights. But the flexible markers that glow orange are very bright, and drivers can see them from up to a half-mile away, even in poor visibility, Smith said.
By law, snowplows are considered emergency vehicles, so drivers should yield to them and give plenty of clearance.
The vehicles, which weigh 60,000 pounds and are more than 20 feet wide, are allowed to take up two lanes. The glowing new plow markers should help motorists determine where the plow blades are and whether it is safe to pass.
Smith said the markers also help plow operators see the edge of the blade. That helps them avoid toppling mailboxes, signs or other roadside obstacles as they clear the snow.
