Snow and Ice
Over
70 percent of the nations roads are located in snowy regions, which
receive more than five inches (or 13 cm) average snowfall annually.
Nearly 70 percent of the U.S. population lives in these snowy regions.
Snow and ice reduce pavement friction and vehicle maneuverability, causing
slower speeds, reduced roadway capacity, and increased crash risk. Average
arterial speeds decline by 30 to 40 on snowy or slushy pavement. Freeway
speeds are reduced by approximately 10 percent in light snow and by
40 percent in heavy snow. Heavy snow and sleet can also reduce visibility.
Lanes and roads are obstructed by snow accumulation, which reduces capacity
and increases travel time delay.
In 2001, nearly 20 percent of weather-related vehicle crashes occurred on snowy or slushy pavement and 13 percent happened during snowfall or sleet. Over 1,100 people were killed and nearly 95,000 people were injured in vehicle crashes on snowy or slushy pavement that year. In 2001, nearly 790 people were killed and nearly 62,000 people were injured in vehicle crashes during snowfall or sleet.
Snow and ice increase road maintenance costs. State and local agencies spend more than 2.3 billion dollars on snow and ice control operations annually. Each year, these road agencies spend over five million dollars to repair infrastructure damage caused by snow and ice.
Best Practices
- City of Aurora, Colorado Maintenance Vehicle Management System (PDF, 123K)
- City of Charlotte, North Carolina Weather Related Signal Timing (PDF, 101K)
- City of New York, New York Anti-Icing/Deicing System (PDF, 174K)
- Houston Texas Environmental Monitoring Systems (PDF, 137K)
- Idaho DOT Anti-Icing/Deicing Operations (PDF, 138K)
- Idaho DOT Motorist Warning System (PDF, 134K)
- Michigan Maintenance Vehicle Management System (PDF, 102K)
- Minnesota DOT Access Control (PDF, 110K)
- Minnesota DOT Anti-Icing/Deicing System (PDF, 299K)
- Montana DOT Anti-Icing/Deicing Operations (PDF, 244K)
- New Jersey Turnpike Authority Speed Management (PDF, 102K)
- Utah DOT Fog Dispersal Operations (PDF, 113K)
- Washington State DOT Speed Management (PDF, 161K)
- Wyoming DOT Avalanche Warning System (PDF, 116K)
Publications
To view publications related to snow and ice, please click on one of the following key words. These publications are also available in the Best Practices section of this web site.
