Eau Claire City Maintenance crews say plows are ready for the snow.
Wisconsin state troopers say that means being extra prepared.

"Keep a cell phone with you keep people notified of where you're going to be and what time," Sgt. Dave Fish said.

Sgt. Dave Fish says it's common for drivers to rely on 4-wheel drive trucks and SUV's. But he says, all too often, that can lead to problems.

"People can become over confident with 4-wheel drive vehicles. They will help you accelerate quicker but that doesn't help you brake any quicker."

Eau Claire Street Maintenance Manager, Mike Barnhardt says it's also important to give plows room, when they're out working to clear the streets and highways.

"State law requires vehicles to stay back from our vehicles. You never know when we're going to stop and back up."

Local emergency room nurse Kerrie Erickson says roads aren't the only place you need to be careful.

"Sidewalks, parking lots, driveways, coming into work, the people coming to work, they slip and fall and try to catch themselves with their hands and they'll have a wrist fracture or sprain."

If you're living with in the city of Eau Claire, remember there is an ordinance that says you must remove snow from your sidewalks within 24 hours after it falls.

Street Maintenance Manager Mike Barnhardt says they have sand available at Eau Claire's Central Maintenance Facility. You can get a 5 gallon bucket of sand per household every time it snows.

But Barnhardt says not to get too eager to clean your driveways and sidewalks or you may be doing it twice.

"Sometimes people may see a truck go down their street and we may not be done. Our goal is to push the snow all the way to the curb so if it doesn't look like we've pushed it all the way to the curb, don't clean out your driveway because we'll fill it back up."

Kerrie Erickson says, when shoveling this winter, it's important to remember your physical limits.

Erickson says some people use snowblowers to speed up the work of shoveling but you need to take precautions when using a snow blower as well.

"The most natural thing to do is quickly get the snow unpacked with your hands but it's very important to shut the snowblower off before you attempt to do that. People have come in with finger injuries and hand injuries. "

With slick sidewalks and icy roads, it's important to put safety first.
State Patrol Sergeant Dave Fish says, along with not driving too fas,t he says cruise control causes your tires to continue spinning after using the breaks and this can be a serious road hazard.

Sergeant Fish says a few items to remember when driving in snowy or icy conditions are:

- Checking the weather conditions before driving anywhere.
- Tell someone where you're going and what time.
- Take your cell phone with you.
- Not to pump your anti-lock breaks
- Beware of your surroundings.
- Know what mile marker you're closest to, in case you need help the State Patrol will be able to find you faster.

For more safety tips, go to our website, www.weau.com, and we have a story on our "Featured Links" page for the DOT's winter driving updates.

If you want to know how road conditions are, you can also call 1-800 ROAD-WIS.

And for road conditions in Minnesota call 1-800-657-3774.