analyze this Winter Cheat Sheet Tools for staying safe on the road this season W
e hate to remind Alberta motorists of last year's brutal winter, but we'd be remiss if we didn't talk about it now, before temperatures hit the minus-20s. Remember the day-after-day snowfalls and abandoned vehicles littering the sides of highways? Winter driving, especially on the highway during a snowstorm, can be a horrible experience. Often the best choice a driver can make is to stay home and wait it out. Ultimately, though, the deci- sion is yours, and the more information you have at your fi ngertips, the better informed that decision will be. The following is a list of resources to consult before heading out on the highway this winter.
AMA Road Reports
AMA Road Reports cover all of the province's major primary highways. Each day, provincial highway maintenance workers report road conditions to AMA, providing ratings of "poor" to "good." AMA's website and toll- free line are immediately updated with this information, which Albertans can access for free. In extreme weather conditions, the reports are updated several times a day. And if you're not convinced that you should avoid the highways when conditions are poor, AMA Road Reports now include estimated wait times for Roadside Assistance (ama.ab.ca/road-reports). Another way to access AMA
Road Reports: Twitter. Last year, AMA Road Reports opened a Twitter account (@AMARoad Reports) for sharing up-to-date collision, construction-delay and road condition infor mation with fellow motorists. It currently has nearly 3,000 followers.
42 WESTWORLD >> NOVEMBER 2011
Dave Reede/All Canada Photos
