LEE'S SUMMIT, Mo. -- After two cars crashed into snow plows in the Kansas City area, the Missouri Department of Transportation is reminding drivers not to "crowd the plow."
The first crash happened Sunday when a driver side swiped a plow trying to pass it. Monday, a car rear-ended a plow.
MODOT's maintenance superintendent in Jackson County said drivers should stay 100 feet behind a snow plow. That should give the car time to stop if the plow needs to stop suddenly for some reason.
"You are going to slide if the road is slick and you could slide underneath the truck," Maintenance Superintendent Stephen Butler explained.
He also said drivers should not pass snow plows. And asked drivers not to weave in between plows as they clear multiple lanes of roads and highways.
"The danger between weaving between trucks is you have to understand if it's snowing or anything is coming down, we have that small [side view] mirror and we only have a small window where we can see to the right or left," Butler highlighted.
MODOT shared pictures of the two most recent crashes to raise awareness ahead of expected snow on Tuesday. Plow operators begin their shift at 7 a.m. and will treat roads with salt before the snow falls.
"If you don't give the trucks time to work to put the chemicals down, give us enough room to work, then we can't do our job for you," Butler put it simply. "And our job is to serve the public by getting the roads clean so people can get home safe and people can get to work safe."
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