Winter driving safety

New Brunswick’s team of highly trained, professional snowfighters are ready for whatever winter throws at us. 

Maintaining our province’s 18,000 kilometres of roadway through the long winter months is a complicated job that involves science and technology and strategic planning. Some roads are trade and commerce routes with high traffic volumes carrying goods and services crucial to the economy. 

Others serve local traffic through rural or residential areas. The Department of Transportation and Infrastructure considers these facts carefully when setting the level of service for a road. 

Your safety is our top priority, but you have a job to do too. Plan ahead and be prepared for winter driving conditions. Know before you go. 

Dial 511 within New Brunswick or 1-800-561-4063 outside New Brunswick for up-to-date conditions. You can also visit 511.gnb.ca or download the mobile app.

Before you head out in the winter, be sure to install four snow tires – don't depend on all-season tires. This will help maintain control and stability of your vehicle in slippery conditions. Make sure they are properly inflated, tire pressure decreases as temperatures drop and under inflation reduces grip. In New Brunswick, you can have studded tires between October 15 and May 1. 

Before you leave your driveway, scrape the ice and snow from every window and the exterior rear view mirrors, not just a small patch on the windshield. Don't forget to remove snow from headlights and brake lights. Be sure to check the windshield wiper blades. 

Reduce your speed and increase following distance. In slippery conditions, use your brakes lightly. Remember condensation can freeze on the road causing a layer of nearly invisible black ice. Review how to react in the event of a skid. 

Never drive while impaired by alcohol, drugs or fatigue. Always wear your seatbelt and ensure all passengers are buckled up. Adjust your head rest to protect your neck in case your vehicle is struck from behind. 

Keep your gas tank at least half-full. The extra volume can help reduce moisture problems within your fuel system and it also adds helpful weight to your vehicle. In rear-wheel vehicles, extra weight in the trunk or truck bed may be helpful. Use care – unsecured weight can shift while you are moving or if you stop suddenly. 

Carry warm clothes and an emergency kit in case you are stalled or have an accident. Some helpful items include blanket, candle with matches, snacks, beverages (never alcohol), flares, cellular phone, a small shovel, flashlight, windshield scraping device, tow rope, bag of sand and long jumper cables.

Avoid passing a snowplow in operation. It is extremely dangerous to pass either between or around snowplows, because of reduced visibility caused by whiteout conditions, and the ridge of snow that can be created between plows 

Be careful when approaching shaded areas, bridges and overpasses. These sections of road freeze much sooner in cold weather and may be slippery, causing you to suddenly lose traction 

Always drive defensively and leave enough space to avoid snow spray. Large trucks and buses can spray moisture or blow snow onto your windshield, leading to a sudden loss of visibility 

Each fall the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure mobilizes more than 450 plow trucks and pieces of equipment at nearly 100 maintenance depots around the province. Storage facilities are stocked with salt and sand to combat snow and ice on provincial roads. Each year approximately 150-thousand tonnes of salt and 300-thousand tonnes of sand are used on New Brunswick roads. 

Air and pavement temperatures are key elements when it comes to deciding the best treatment to keep snow and ice from building up on major roadways. That's why our highway supervisors' trucks are equipped with infrared pavement sensors that provide immediate, current temperature readings for the pavement surface and air. 

Salt and sand are the common materials used in maintaining New Brunswick roads in winter. Sand is used on hills, turns and intersections where extra traction is needed. 

Salt works by lowering the freezing point of ice or snow on the road surface. This causes the snow to melt into a salty, brine solution, helping the plowing process. Salt is also used to melt snow and ice left behind after plowing. 

Salt becomes less effective as the pavement temperature drops. Below minus 10 degrees Celsius, salt use is impractical. 

Road weather stations provide current data on wind, air temperature and pavement conditions. 

The department’s meteorological service uses this data and provides specialized weather forecasts to help highway supervisors make winter response decisions. 

Plows are equipped with on-board computers that control the spread of materials based on speed. So, no matter what speed the truck is moving, the right amount of salt is applied for the conditions. 

The department carefully plans and manages the use of salt to keep the roads clear while protecting the environment. 

Good salt management includes using the right material, at the right time, in the right amount and the right place. 

New Brunswick has been managing its use of salt on provincial highways for many years for both fiscal and environmental reasons. 

The amount of highway salt used to de-ice roads depends on the mass of snow or ice on the road surface and the pavement temperature. Knowledge of pavement surface temperature helps decide suitable salt application rates and reduces salt waste. 

Since 1996, the department has been equipping highway supervisor trucks with pavement temperature sensors to help them select suitable salt application rates. Sensors are now installed in all highway supervisor vehicles, providing immediate access to pavement and local air temperature information. 

Highway salt applied at the wrong time may be wasted. Salt applied at the wrong rate for conditions may be wasted. Apply it at too high a rate, and salt is left over after the melting is complete. If salt is applied too slowly, it may have to be reapplied. 

Since 1993, the department has been installing ground speed spreader controls in snowplows. These computerized spreader controls, now the standard in New Brunswick’s snowplow fleet, read the truck’s travel speed and apply salt at the correct rate regardless of variations in speed.  

The controls also allow the operator to easily make precise adjustments to the application rate according to conditions. The computerized controls provide a record of the amount of salt and application rates used that can be incorporated in the supervisor’s daily salt use reporting. 

When people clear their driveways by pushing snow onto highways, it can cause serious traffic hazards. It’s against the law to put snow or any obstruction on a highway. Fines range up to $2,500. Please don’t dump snow on the road. 

During snow plowing operations, crews do their best to avoid damaging or disturbing rural mailboxes and civic address numbers but should damage occur the department assumes no responsibility. 

The department operates and maintains approximately 18,000 kilometers of provincial highway and road ways. The department monitors roads during winter storms, with plowing operations typically running from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. on most provincial roads. From 11 p.m. to 5 a.m., services are typically reduced to emergency only response. The department is available to respond to emergencies around the clock. 

Levels of service may be reduced due to the following: 

• ­length and severity of storm 
• ­limited visibility for operators, compromising the safety of maintenance personnel or the traveling public 
• ­equipment, material and staff availability 
• ­winds causing drifting 
• ­freezing rain or sleet 
• ­road surface temperatures (less than ­10C) which limit the effectiveness of de­icing chemicals (i.e. salt) 
• ­recovery time for operators during extended winter storm conditions 

Give plowing equipment space. Keep back 30 meters so they can see you.