APPLETON, Wis. –– Dean Steingraber said stay home if you can when the snow starts falling.

Steingraber is the commissioner of the Outagamie County Highway Department.

“We’re just trying to give everybody a heads up, you know, just be careful out there,” he said. “If you don’t have to go because it’s not an emergency or it’s not necessary for you to be leaving your home, stay home while the weather is bad.”

What You Need To Know

  • Wisconsin law states you must keep a distance of at least 200 feet from a plow.
  • Forty-five plow trucks will clear all county roads and highways of snow and ice.
  • Plow trucks present a hazard to drivers who don’t give plows the space 

Steingraber will have 45 plow trucks working until all county roads and highways are clear of snow and ice. 

He said the plow trucks present a hazard to drivers who don’t give plows the space they require to safely get the job done.

“The big thing is these trucks are big and they’re trying to do their job, get the snow off the road for them to be safe driving down the road so we really appreciate giving them plenty of distance,” he said. “Some have wings on the right side, some have wings on the right and the left. They take up a lot of space.”

Wisconsin law states you must keep a distance of at least 200 feet from a plow.

Steingraber said he understands plows can drive slow and clog up traffic.

He also knows there’s no law in Wisconsin preventing motorists from passing snowplows.

However, he said it’s better to play it safe than take the risk.

“A lot of times these guys can’t see that there’s someone right behind,” he said. “They do their very best to see in their mirrors and we do, on some of the trucks, have cameras and stuff like that, but that doesn’t always work either. Stay back at least 200 feet so if they do have to back up they’re not going to be backing up and bumping into you or doing something worse.