Jerry Byrne with the Kent County Road Commission says the new bill is not necessarily about enforcement, but about changing driver behavior and keeping everyone safe.
“And this really puts a little bit of teeth in it so that when we are rear-ended, it puts the responsibility back on that motorist.”
Byrne says that while 200 feet, or about the length of 12 cars, seems like a large berth to give snowplows, in adverse weather conditions, it’s necessary.
“Two-hundred feet is a lot of distance on a sunny day. It’s not a lot of distance on a snowy day on slippery conditions. We’re going 20, you’re going 40? That two-hundred feet’s going to shrink really quick.”
According to Byrne, the bill came about when road agencies began looking at other states with similar laws and saw that incidents were on the decline. If passed, the law would still allow drivers to pass a snowplow on the left but would require them to stay at least 20 feet back from a snowplow stopped at an intersection so that plow could back up if needed.
Byrne says ultimately, the bill is an important step in keeping both workers and drivers safe.
“It’s really to protect the motorist, bring another awareness and say, ‘Look, you need to back off, you need to let these folks do their job and don’t crowd the plow.’”
The bill now goes to a House committee where it will need to be approved before reaching the Governor’s desk.