Salt Institute Website Promotes Safe Winter Roads

With the start of winter three weeks away, motorists, highway maintenance personnel, public officials, and journalists now have a new website to turn to for information on safe winter roads.The site, safewinterroads.org, was launched last week by the Salt Institute with a focus on two statistics:

1. More than 116,000 Americans are injured and 1,300 killed every year on snowy or icy pavement.
2. Snowstorms cost state economies as much as $700 million per day if roads become impassable.

“When a snowstorm hits, it’s more than just an inconvenience to motorists,” Lori Roman, the institute’s president, said in a statement. “Lives are at risk if drivers must travel roads that are inadequately salted and cleared. State and local economies take big hits as commerce slows to a winter crawl.”

The Salt Institute scoured its archives, boiled down research to the most essential points, and presented the information in a central place online. The new website has sections on safety, commerce, the environment, and sensible salting.

In a home-page video, Salt Institute Vice President Morton Satin visits a salt storage facility to explain how salt is not only about safety, but “dollars and common sense.” He also emphasizes the need for best practices that protect the environment.

More than 70% of the nation’s roads are located in snowy regions, those areas that receive more than five inches average snowfall annually, according to the Federal Highway Administration.

“Snow and ice reduce pavement friction and vehicle maneuverability, causing slower speeds, reduced roadway capacity, and increased crash risk,” according to FHWA’s Road Weather Management Program. “Over 1,300 people are killed and more than 116,800 people are injured in vehicle crashes on snowy, slushy, or icy pavement annually. Every year, nearly 900 people are killed and nearly 76,000 people are injured in vehicle crashes during snowfall or sleet.”

FHWA notes that winter road maintenance accounts for roughly 20% of state DOT maintenance budgets. State and local agencies spend more than $2.3 billion on snow and ice control operations annually.