A record number of crashes into snow plows reported by the Iowa DOT

Cedar Rapids, Iowa – On Wednesday, a record number of vehicles collided with Iowa DOT snow plow personnel.

According to Craig Bargfrede, Iowa DOT winter operations administrator, “I must admit that I was a little surprised at the number, yes.”

A single-day record of fifteen vehicles collided with the Iowa Department of Transportation’s snow plows on Wednesday.

According to Bargfrede, “A lot of them were caused by people not paying attention, driving a little distracted, driving too fast for the conditions, and basically striking the back of our trucks.”

Video of two of the collisions, in which a car strikes the back of the plow without seeming to slow down first, was released by the DOT. According to the department, the majority of the 15 collisions occurred on highways where drivers were traveling too fast.

The reason for this is that the DOT’s snow plows often travel 10 to 30 miles per hour slower than the speed of the highway.

“We have to drive at those speeds in order for us to do our jobs with that equipment properly,” Bargfrede stated.

According to Cedar Rapids Public Works, the city’s low crash rate is due to city plows covering slower roadways, which reduces the likelihood of rear-end collisions.

The DOT stated that the fine, powdery snow on Wednesday was another factor that increased the hazard of traffic on the highways.

“Easily blown around, easily kicked up.” Fortunately, there weren’t any particularly strong gusts that day, which may have seriously hampered visibility due to blowing snow, Bargfrede said.