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(Iowa) -- Much of the state saw snow accumulate overnight and into this morning. But the Iowa Department of Transportation's Craig Bargfrede says only a fraction of the state's snow plow fleet was in action.
"We have 925 plows in our fleet statewide," Bargfrede says. "We were around 320 or 330 plows that were active in our system this morning."
He says it's not uncommon to see them out and about this time of year, but reminds drivers they go a little slower than most vehicles.
"Anywhere from 10 to, let's say, 35 or 40 miles an hour," Bargfrede says. "And so a vehicle that's approaching the snow plow can close the distance very quickly."
There was an accident near Marshalltown this morning, which happened because a car crashed into a plow. Three people are dead in Washington County after a car tried to pass a snow plow this morning and hit another car head on. Bargfrede says it's important to slow down and let the plows do their jobs.
"Folks just need to adjust their speed and just operate safely around a snow plow," Bargfrede says. "Our operators are trying to do the best job possible at getting those roads back to near-normal winter driving conditions as quickly as possible. So, safety is paramount."