Williston library hosts winter driving awareness event

For people who have never driven in snowy weather before, it can be a shock. Luckily, the North Dakota Department of Transportation is making an effort to educate about the precautions necessary for winter driving.

On Tuesday, three snow plows were on display in the parking lot of the Williston Community Library as part of an effort to educate the public about winter driving.

North Dakota Department of Transportation Maintenance Superintendent Gary Skarphol said they have put on a few similar events, and may do more.

“We hope this will make our jobs safer and keep drivers safe as well,” he said.

He said many people who come to North Dakota aren’t familiar with driving in the winter, for example, that it’s extremely dangerous to use cruise control after Nov. 1.

Debbie Slais, Williston Community Library Director, contacted him after they did an awareness event at First International Bank and that’s how this particular one got started.

Skarphol said they will most likely do a few more events like this one after Jan. 1.

“We don’t always touch a lot of people, but the ones we do hopefully will be safer winter drivers,” said Skarphol of these awareness events they do.

In addition, Skarphol stressed two new laws, one of which provides a maximum penalty of a $500 fine and six points for injuring an operator of snow removal equipment in excess of $1,000 as a result of careless driving.

The other allows law enforcement to close a road temporarily due to hazardous conditions for the protection and safety of the public and states no person may knowingly enter a road closure under these conditions.

Packets were available inside the library about winter driving, the 511 program which provides information about road conditions, tips for dealing with snow plows, and information about the Be SMART program (Be Safety Minded, Alert, Responsible Travelers) that they will be doing in area schools.

 These handouts are still available at the front desk of the library.