Winter Tip: How to Avoid the “Second Shovel” at Driveway

(County Road Association, Dec. 5, 2017, orig. Nov. 17, 2014)

Michigan – In 2014 The County Road Association of Michigan released an infographic to help Michigan residents avoid the frustration of the “second shovel,” that we’re sharing here again.

“Shoveling snow once after a storm is a tiring process,” said Denise Donohue, director of the County Road Association of Michigan.  “Having to shovel a driveway a second time after the snowplow passes is just plain frustrating.”

The County Road Association offers a few simple guidelines to help people avoid that frustration.  By clearing an area before your driveway large enough for the snow coming off the blade to be deposited (to the right as you face your home or business), you can avoid the “second shovel.”

“It’s simple physics”, Donohue said. “If homeowners don’t make a place for the snow to go, the momentum of the passing plow is going to throw snow right back in the driveway. A little early planning on where to shovel can save residents both time and frustration.”

The County Road Association of Michigan represents the interests of Michigan’s 83 county road agencies that collectively maintain more than 75 percent of Michigan roads — more than 90,000 miles and the fourth-largest local road system in the nation. Learn more at www.micountyroads.org.

UPDATE: The Missouri Dept. of Transportation has a good video illustrating this technique:

The City of Troy also recently released a similar graphic encouraging residents to give this technique a try.