CDOT holds press conference cautioning drivers ahead of holiday travel

Ryn Lewis
·2 min read

GOLDEN, Colo. (KREX) — Many Coloradans plan to travel in and out of state for the holidays. The Colorado Department of Transportation held a press conference reminding drivers to prepare themselves – and their vehicles – for winter roads.

“It is a privilege to live in Colorado. And as a function of that, we all have a responsibility to know how to drive in Colorado,” said AAA Regional Public Affairs Director Skylar McKinley.

CDOT gathered with the Colorado State Patrol, AAA, and the I-70 Coalition Tuesday morning to address Colorado drivers.

“We wanted to do a winter kick-off to kind of raise awareness and make sure people are preparing themselves for winter driving and physically getting their cars up to speed,” CDOT Public Information Officer Andy Hogle told WesternSlopeNow.

He says driving in the winter is dramatically different than driving in the summer.

“The rubber in your tires gets hard, that moisture on the ground freezes up, and your vehicle does not respond the way you’re used to in the summer.

Sergeant Troy Kessler with State Patrol says it’s important to make sure your tire tread depth is at 3/16ths of an inch, and that you have new windshield wipers and plenty of fluid.

“When it comes to fluid, make sure you have the proper rating. Especially if you’re coming from out of state and you’re operating at a zero-degree rating. That’s gonna freeze pretty quickly.”

The most important thing, Hogle tells WesternSlopeNow – be prepared if you do need to stop on the side of the road.

“Do you have a winter preparedness kit in your car? Kind of like a go bag. Extra layers of clothes, food and water. Things like a phone charger for your car, a deck of cards if you have kids to keep them busy, extra blankets. That kind of thing. It’s better to have that and not need it.”

Hogle wants to make sure Coloradans are aware of the resources they have to offer – the Go I-70 website, the CDOT website, and real-time traffic updates at the CO Trip website.

“It’s COTrip.org on the website, or CO Trip the app for your mobile device. Both of those are real-time. As soon as we know it, it’s up there. You can even see where the snow plows are.”

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