Be safe in snow… you don’t have nine lives.

By Alice Fiman

For #ThrowbackThursday, I’ll share a photo I took on a recent trip back to my high school. I hadn’t been there in many years. Yes, we are the mighty Tigers. And like tigers, many of us here aren’t very comfortable in the snow. We make that face when we hear it’s coming.

So, let’s talk snow and driving and safety. Please take a few moments to get ready for Friday’s commute. Plan ahead and leave yourself extra time. And if you do have to travel, drive for conditions and don’t take chances.

Forecasts call for a short duration snowfall in the Puget Sound region, starting tonight (Thursday). They say it should be gone by Friday afternoon.  For those of you who have the day off, well, lucky.

WSDOT crews, our partners at the Washington State Patrol and many, many others are out treating roads and keeping traffic moving. We do need your help. We have a list below. Please add any additions to the comments section. Thanks!

For those of us who will be on the road Thursday night and Friday:

• In ice and snow, take it slow.
• Protect yourself and your passengers.
• Allow extra time to reach your destination during inclement weather.
• Drive for conditions – slower speeds, slower acceleration.
• Use your headlights.
• Four-wheel and all-wheel vehicles do not stop or steer better on ice.
• Leave extra room between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you.
• Remember, the larger the vehicle, the longer the stopping distance.
• Slow down when approaching intersections, offramps, bridges, or shady spots.
• If you find yourself behind a WSDOT truck, stay behind it until it is safe to pass. Remember that truck provides the driver a limited field of vision.

Know before you go:

• Check traffic, road temperatures and highway cameras across the state.
• Find out what’s happening in the Puget Sound region.
• Call 511. WSDOT’s driver information phone line provides real-time traffic, incident and closure information. Out-of-state callers can dial 1-800-695-ROAD (7623). TTY users can call 1-800-833-6388.
• Sign up for email updates and social media tools such as Facebook.
• Follow traveler information on Twitter. Look for #wasnow on @wsdot, @wsdot_traffic (Seattle area), @wsdot_sw (Vancouver area), @wsdot_tacoma, @srtmc (Spokane area) @wsdot_passes, @SnoqualmiePass.

We have received a lot of curious emails lately asking us why we close the mountain passes when there is risk of avalanche danger. I could tell you, but I thinks that these photos will tell the story better. When you see what an avalanche looks like and consider the danger of being buried by one, you can see why we take the closing of the passes very seriously.

Stevens Pass - February 2008 - Tunnel Creek


Snoqualmie Pass - January 31, 2008 - Cars stuck in both sides of avalanche
Did you know that there are at least 40 avalanche chutes on Snoqualmie pass alone!


SR 20 - January 2008 - Newhalem - Not just snow comes down in an avalanche, sometimes rocks do too.


SR 20 - January 2008 - Aerial View - Newhalem slide


Typical Avalanche at Snoqualmie Pass East snowshed - an avalanche of this size can cause the pass to be closed for two hours.


As you can see there is considerable risk to any vehicle that tries to cross the mountains when these dangerous conditions exist. We appreciate your patience while we take the appropriate time to make sure the highway is safe for travel.