Car maintenance and driving safely are both things to be highly considered during Wyoming winters.
In such a rural state, the long stretches between towns, especially between November and February, can be daunting for those from out of state.
“Before you travel, just be sure to fuel up. Make sure you have a car kit that includes emergency food sources, water, batteries, blankets, anything that can help you if you do get stranded on our roadways during our winter months,” said Andrea Staley, the senior public relations specialist for the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) for district one, in southeast Wyoming.
Due to the mountainous landscape and lack of trees, winter can look different than someone might expect.
“Because of [the altitude] the weather can be different, the wind can be unexpected for people, they’re not generally used to that,” she said. “If you’ve never visited our great state, it can be a little bit of an unexpected hazard that you’re not quite used to as well.”
The wind causes more than just an inconvenience with winter driving. Between Laramie and Rawlins, there can be hurricane force winds that create visibility issues for drivers.
“When it snows, even if there isn’t a weather event happening such as a snowstorm, if there is a recent snowfall, the wind will pick that up and you really cannot see the hand in front of your face,” Staley said.
Visibility is one of only two reasons Interstate 80 would be shut down. The second is traffic accidents.
“We do have limited highway patrol troopers. If there are too many crashes on our interstate in a certain section, [they could] have 16 crashes in queue before they’re even able to get to them,” she said.
WYDOT provides a map that shows closures and warnings along several state roads. They also provide live feeds from cameras and travelers along the highways. These resources could be helpful to those who may not know how to drive in the weather.
“It really is up to the driver and the confidence of their ability,” she said. “We really, really want to caution safe driving and [not driving] distracted. [And to] always wear your seatbelt.”
WYDOT has seen roughly 13,500 crashes per year since 2018, with a spike in 2019 at just under 15,000.
“We have had more fatalities during the summer than we have during the winter,” Staley said. “That’s pretty consistent. I would say everything is pretty stretched out. It doesn’t seem that weather really causes a spike. It just depends [on circumstances].”
For those hoping to make travel plans during the winter, there are limited options of leaving Laramie if the roads are closed.
“I would not chance [it] if we close the roads. It’s just not worth it,” Staley said. “The best way, if we are doing things like rolling closures, or closing to commercial traffic and allowing local traffic [through], would be to sign up for our W-TAP program. [Residents] would get a code to be able to get around [the gates].”
When on the roadways, snowplows may be plowing along the way, but because of their size, they may be considered a hazard as well.
“They might not see you as easily as you see them,” Staley said. “They have a lot to be paying attention to, making sure that they’re plowing the road safely.”
She continued, “Just be sure to give them a little break. [It is] usually safest behind a plow, and our plow operators will eventually turn off [of the road]. You will not be stuck behind them for the entire journey.”
“At the end of the day, it’s all just about being prepared for the winter. There will be long stretches on our interstates where you might not be close to a town. There also are stretches where you might not have any cell phone service. Worst case scenario, you could be stranded without any way of contacting anyone. It’s all just about being prepared.”
For updated road conditions and live road feeds, visit https://map.wyoroad.info/
