'Stay Off The Highways' This Weekend: MD State Police

PIKESVILLE, MD – If you can stay off the roads this weekend, do so, says the Maryland State Police, as weather forecasts say a foot of snow is possible Friday through Sunday morning.

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Rules of the road during the snowstorm from state troopers:

• Stay home this weekend unless your job requires you to travel (emergency responder, medical profession, snow removal etc.)
• Maryland State Police will begin towing vehicles currently abandoned more than 24 hours before the storm’s arrival
• Once the snow emergency plan is put in place for a particular county, abandoned vehicles will be towed immediately
• If you have to drive, ensure you are driving a vehicle equipped for snow travel
• Don’t abandon your vehicle on a snow emergency route (interstate, Maryland or US route) without notifying Maryland State Police or the police agency responsible for that roadway
• If you have called a private tow to remove your vehicle, let Maryland State Police know so we don’t dispatch resources to have it removed
• If you have an accident, move your vehicle out of the travel portion of the roadway if possible and contact Maryland State Police
• Give snow plows room to work and do not try to pass a plow train
• If your vehicle is towed, contact the barrack or local police agency where it was abandoned with a full description (make, model, tag number and exact location) so the towing company information can be provided to you for pickup

“For this snow storm, drivers should make informed decisions before they leave home because once you are on the highway, it may be too late to change your mind,” Maryland State Police Superintendent Colonel William M. Pallozzi said. “Make every effort to stay off the highways if at all possible during the snow storm.”

If You Become Stranded

• Wrap/tie a brightly colored cloth to the antenna as a signal to rescuers and raise the hood of the car.
• Wrap your entire body, including your head, in extra clothing/blankets
• Run the motor (and heater) for about 10 minutes per hour, opening one window slightly to let air in.
• As you sit, keep your arms and legs moving to improve circulation and avoid frostbite.
• Huddle with passengers to help keep warm.

Check MD Traffic Cameras First

Drivers can check the state’s live traffic cameras for a real-time look at highway conditions before leaving home. The cameras can be found by visiting www.roads.maryland.gov and clicking on “commuter” and then clicking on “live traffic.”

Additional information concerning road conditions can be obtained on line at www.511md.org or by calling 5-1-1.

Drivers are urged NOT to call Maryland State Police barracks to check on road conditions. Calls to police or 9-1-1 centers during the storm should be for emergency situations only.

Troopers will work with tow companies throughout the state to remove abandoned vehicles so that snow plows can operate efficiently. When snow emergency plans are in effect, drivers are not permitted to park on the shoulders of an interstate or state highway and vehicles left there will be towed.

If your vehicle is towed from an interstate or a state highway by State Police, you can find out where it is taken by contacting the Maryland State Police barrack in the county where you left the vehicle. A list of barracks can be found at the Maryland State Police website at www.mdsp.maryland.gov.

Commercial vehicles may wait out the storm at one of the Maryland State Police scale house parking lots that will be available overnight. These locations are also available on the State Police website at http://mdsp.maryland.gov/Organization/Pages/InspectionFacilities.aspx.