INDIANA, Pa. – In connection with Winter Driving Awareness Week, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is pleased to announce the District 10 regional winners of the Paint the Plow safety outreach contest.
(Commodore Perry High School’s winning submission.)
Paint the Plow is a statewide outreach aimed at promoting winter driving safety and fostering appreciation for high school art programs and student creativity. Students are invited to paint a plow blade with an original design based on a provided theme.
Keystone High School of Clarion County won the “Fan Favorite” award, which was determined by online voting through www.penndot.pa.gov/PaintthePlow. The plow depicts a variety of seasonal characters safely buckled in their vehicle to convey this year’s theme “Seat belts are always in season.”
Jefferson County-DuBois Area Vo-Tech of Jefferson County was the honorable mention.
Members of the public were invited to vote for their favorite plow from 11 area high schools that entered in this year’s regional contest. Votes were accepted from January 8-15, 2024.
During the winter weather season, the blades painted by Leechburg Area, Knoch, Butler County Area Vo-Tech, Moniteau, Redbank Valley, Union, Keystone, United, River Valley, Penns Manor and Jefferson County-DuBois Area Vo-Tech students, will be used to maintain state-owned roadways in Armstrong, Butler, Clarion, Indiana, and Jefferson counties.
Photos of all the District 10 plows can be viewed on the PennDOT website here.
See a listing of the winners of Paint the Plow programs in other parts of the state by going online to www.penndot.pa.gov/PaintthePlow.
Winter Driving Awareness Week, which runs January 21 through 27, is a reminder to motorists to practice safe habits behind the wheel, and especially during inclement weather. PennDOT advises drivers to stay in during snow events unless it’s necessary to be out. If traveling is necessary, practice the following winter driving tips:
- Use low beams in snowy weather.
- Keep the gas tank at least half full.
- Reduce your speed.
- Remove accumulated ice or snow from your vehicle, including the hood, trunk, and roof.
- Increase the following distance from the vehicle in front of you.
- Use extra caution on bridges and ramps, where ice can form without warning.
Additionally, when encountering a plow truck on the road, give it plenty of space, staying at least six car lengths behind. There may be blind spots where it is difficult for the plow operator to see the smaller vehicle. Never try to pass or get between several trucks plowing side by side in a “plow train,” and keep your lights on to help the operator better see your vehicle.
To help make decisions regarding winter travel, motorists are encouraged to “Know Before You Go” by checking conditions on more than 40,000 roadway miles, including color-coded winter conditions on 2,900 miles, by visiting www.511PA.com.
511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and access to more than 1,000 traffic cameras. Users can also see plow truck statuses and travel alerts along a specific route using the “Check My Route” tool.
For more information on PennDOT’s winter preparations and additional winter-driving resources for motorists, visit the department’s winter website.
