PennDOT urges motorists to avoid travel, if possible, when snowy and icy conditions arise. If travel is necessary, motorists should use caution, reduce speeds, and be aware of changing weather conditions.

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 http://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 the status of plow trucks and travel alerts along a specific route using the "Check My Route" tool.

511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional Twitter alerts.

Drivers should prepare or restock their emergency kits with items such as nonperishable food, water, first aid supplies, warm clothes, a blanket, a cellphone charger, and a small snow shovel. Motorists should tailor their kits to any specific needs that they or their families have, such as baby supplies, extra medication, and pet supplies.

When winter weather occurs, drivers should be extra cautious around operating snow removal equipment. When encountering a plow truck, drivers should stay at least six car lengths behind an operating plow truck and remember that the main plow is wider than the truck. Drivers should be alert since plow trucks generally travel much more slowly than other traffic. When a plow truck is traveling toward a vehicle, the driver should move as far away from the center of the road as is safely possible and remember that snow can obscure the actual snow plow width.

Additionally, drivers should never try to pass or get between several trucks plowing side by side in a plow train. The weight of the snow thrown from the plow can quickly cause smaller vehicles to lose control, creating a hazard for nearby vehicles. Drivers should never travel next to a plow truck since there are blind spots where the operator cannot see, and they can occasionally be moved sideways when hitting drifts or heavy snowpack.

Also, drivers should keep their lights on to help the operator see their vehicle better. Drivers should also remember that under Pennsylvania state law, vehicle lights must be on every time a vehicle's wipers are on due to inclement weather.

Motorists are reminded that the law requires drivers to remove accumulated ice or snow from their vehicle, including the hood, trunk, and roof, within 24 hours after the storm has ended. This applies to all vehicles, including commercial vehicles. Drivers in violation of the law are subject to a fine of $50. Additionally, motorists can be cited up to $1,500 if snow or ice is dislodged and strikes another vehicle or pedestrian causing death or serious injury.

For more information on safe winter travel, an emergency kit checklist, and information on PennDOT's winter operations, including a video, visit http://www.penndot.gov/winter. Additional winter driving and other highway safety information is available at http://www.penndot.gov/safety.