11/14/2020
Winter Weather Awareness Week
It may not have felt much like winter this past week, but in preparation for the inevitable, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is reminding drivers to be prepared when the snow flies.
Now is the time to get your vehicle ready for winter. Consider having your mechanic check the brakes, battery, hoses and belts. Also make sure your fluid levels are full; the heater and defroster are working properly, as well as your radio in order to receive weather and traffic reports; tires are properly inflated and have sufficient tread depth; and wipers and lights are in good working order.
Assemble a winter emergency kit to carry with you in your car at all times. This should include a blanket and warm clothes; jumper cables; small shovel; first aid kit; medications for you and your passengers; and water and nonperishable food.
To help keep you informed when you head out on the roads, you can access travel information on nearly 40,000 state-maintained roadway miles year-round at 511PA.com, and during the winter you will find plow-truck locations and details of when state-maintained roadways were last plowed. The information is made possible by PennDOT's Automated Vehicle Location (AVL) technology, which uses units in each of the roughly 2,200 department-owned and rented plow trucks to send a cellular signal showing where a truck is located.
For more information and resources to help you prepare for and get through the winter, visit penndot.gov/winter.
PennDOT wants to keep people moving — when they want, where they want. The reality, though, is Pennsylvania sees some tough weather conditions — especially in winter — that can wreak havoc even against the best-laid plans.
