Snowdrifts on the roads: rules of conduct in transit

Abundant atmospheric precipitation in the form of snow for an extended period of time, accompanied by wind, whose speed exceeds 12 m / s, is classified as a hydrometeorological disaster. Under such conditions, snowdrifts inevitably form.

Heavy snowfalls

Snowdrifts, or snowdrifts, are bizarre snow objects formed under the influence of wind. Snowy mounds resemble sand dunes and are formed according to the same principle. Wind gusts moving snow mass, which accumulates in the place of slowing the air flow. Snowdrifts usually acquire fanciful forms of ridges and slopes.

Rules of behavior during blizzards

If you live in a country with a harsh climate, where in winter you will not be surprised by a snowstorm, you know the rules of behavior during a blizzard, including on the road, if a heavy snowfall, including accompanied by wind, caught up on the road.

Rescuers do not recommend leaving the house during a blizzard, especially if there is a tendency to increase it. Only in case of emergency, go to the road. Tell your relatives or neighbors about your route. It is advisable, even on short trips, not to go alone.

Moving by car during a snowstorm is permissible only on large roads and highways. But even there you can be trapped. Snow drift on the road can be a very unpleasant and difficult to overcome obstacle.

If you need to stop in the way, do not go far from the car, it should always be within sight. During snowstorms it is very easy to lose landmarks due to reduced visibility.

If you have to stop on the road with a signal, give an alarm sign - intermittent beeps are clear to any traffic participant. Wait for help in the car. Snow drifts, blizzards are very insidious. Often people overestimate their strength, trying to get out of the driveway on their own. You can go to the road only if you know exactly the direction of movement or see the landmark - the light of the village. And you can stay in the car with the engine running, opening a little window to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.

Forest belt as protection of roads from snow drifts

To make roads in heavy snow more safe for motorists, it is very important to take the necessary measures to prevent the formation of snowdrifts. Effective means of protecting roads from snowdrifts - green plantations along roads. Trees and bushes reduce the speed of wind gusts, as a result of which a drift is formed on the leeward side of the plantations, the edges of which are canopies. In the immediate vicinity of the roadway, as a rule, the thickness of the snow cover is minimal. Planting trees are more effective than bushes, as they more strongly extinguish the wind speed.

Stationary barriers

Often, instead of green plantations, special stationary anti-snow barriers are used. Such designs can be made of different materials, often used wood. Stationary barriers are a rather expensive construction. But it justifies itself, because significant funds can be saved through one-time installation, there is no need to spend money for annual transportation to the site of installation of obstacles and dismantling. These structures are installed in areas where protection from snowdrifts is required in winter, and in other seasons - from sandstorms. The peculiarity of the design is that it not only extinguishes the wind speed, but also changes its direction, thereby "taking away" the snow from the roadway. For this, a smooth rounding is provided at the top of the barrier.

Temporary protective structures

In places where there are no forest plantations along the roads and it is not advisable to install stationary barrier structures, temporary fences are established with the onset of the snowfall season. Their task is not only to prevent the formation of snowdrifts on the roads, but also to keep as much snow in the fields as possible, which subsequently will favorably affect the harvest.

Protective structures are lattice wooden shields, installed at an incline on special supports. Modular barriers - the only way out if necessary to protect from snow drifts roads running through the slopes. In such cases, individual modules are placed on a slope in several rows.

With the development of technology, instead of wooden shields, high-strength polymer grids are increasingly used. They have a number of advantages in comparison with wooden structures:

• More resistant to the effects of aggressive surrounding strydy;
• It is more convenient to store - the meshes are stored in rolls;
• Simple installation and dismantling, as the mesh with one long cloth is attached to the installed supports.

Snow drifts on the roads cause a lot of inconvenience to motorists and negatively affect traffic. Their impact on transportation can be more significant than the snowfall itself.

Basics of controlling the formation of snowdrifts

Snow obstacles have a negative impact on traffic. Knowledge of the principles of the formation of drifts allows you to manage this process or at least to correct it. However, their formation can not be avoided if the snow is accompanied by gusts of wind. Somewhere the mass will accumulate.

Control the formation of snowdrifts:

• Determine the direction of the wind;
• Install an obstacle stopping the air flow or slowing it down in a place where the appearance of a snowdrift is considered permissible.

There is another way to eliminate snow drifts - with the help of a shovel. But this method is very laborious and inefficient. It is only worth counting on it as a last resort, when the time for preventive measures is missed.