The Virginia Department of Transportation snow safety updates

With the first few flakes of the year dropping on the Landau Law Shop this week, the Herndon law firm is pleased to share highlights from the Virginia Department of Transportation’s  (“VDOT”) recent snow briefing for public officials.  It is hoped that these actions will improve snow safety and decrease the chances of car wrecks, slip and fall accidents and truck crashes and road fatalities.  The highlights include:

• Additional equipment:  600 more pieces of equipment for a total of 2,600 pieces of equipment.
• Early deployment in subdivisions:  Trucks will be pre-positioned in subdivisions if the forecast is for more than 2 inches of snow.
• Automatic Vehicle Locator (AVL) pilot program:  This will help VDOT track what streets have been plowed and when they were plowed.  Not all trucks are equipped with AVL; however, VDOT is offering incentives to contractors to install AVL in the trucks.
• Updated maps:  650 maps have been updated to show hotspots, schools, police stations, hospitals and bus stops.
• Training:  Additional snow plow simulator training has been provided.

In tomorrow’s post, we will look at things you and your family can do to help VDOT’s safety efforts this winter.