(11/11/2019) - The Genesee County Road Commission has been working around-the-clock to try and keep the roads clear as a Veterans Day snowstorm blanketed Mid-Michigan.
The road commission says clearing the snow is the agency's No. 1 priority, but drivers need to share the road for plow drivers to do their jobs effectively.
"Snow keeps coming down. It might not look like we're out there, but we are and just be safe," said road commission driver Scott Coughlin.
He plowed westbound I-69 all day Tuesday beginning at 5 a.m. and planned to work a 12-hour day. Coughlin said drivers can make that 12 hours go by a little easier for him.
He asked drivers to avoid "driving too fast, getting too close to us. Stay your distance and let us have some room."
Coughlin said plows need space just in case something goes wrong.
"We're only going right around 30 to 35 mph when we're salting. To them, it's probably slow for them," he said.
Coughlin said drivers for the most part have been taking it slow and driving safe. His concern though is for the overnight hours and into tomorrow, when temperatures are supposed to take a big nosedive.
"The roads probably won't be cleaned off like we want them too, so just be careful -- especially with the ice," Coughlin said.
Drivers on the roads say a little common sense and patience go a long way on snow-covered roads. They had mixed reactions to a significant snow event coming early in the season.
"You gotta be careful. It's kinda slick out there," said Natasha Redford. "Drive cautiously and slow."
Many roads were layered with ice and slush, making for rather dangerous driving conditions. Throughout the day, most people have been taking it slow and being mindful of other drivers.
But there's always exceptions.
"I saw a car do a 180," said Cassandra Presley. "He was going quite slow, but he was going into kind of a curve and as you know when you go into a curve you need to go a little slower than normal. And he wasn't going that fast, but he did a 180."
She isn't too bothered by the snow, because she knows things could be a whole lot worse.
"Just be careful out there everybody," Presley said. "Be courteous to your neighbor and no road rage and just keep safe and be thankful to be alive."