Photo Provided An Ohio Department of Transportation crew prepares plow trucks to remove snow and ice from Buckeye State roadways. The department announced Thursday that 49 of those trucks have been struck by other vehicles this winter.

MARTINS FERRY — A dangerous trend is occurring on Ohio roadways, where 49 Ohio Department of Transportation snow plows have been struck by other vehicles so far this winter.

ODOT District 11 Public Information Officer Lauren Borell announced the tally on Thursday. District 11 includes Belmont, Carroll, Columbiana, Harrison, Holmes, Jefferson and Tuscarawas counties.

“ODOT plows have been struck more this winter than the last two winters combined. Just last week, 11 plows were hit, 9 of which occurred on the 19th,” she said.

Borell added that when these crashes occur, they take crucial snow-fighting equipment off of the road, forcing other plows in the area to extend their routes and leading to a slower response time to clear roads and ensure public safety.

In November, ODOT launched its “Give Us Room to Work” safety campaign in hopes of informing residents to be vigilant and cautious when driving on roads where snow plows are operating.

According to its campaign, last winter ODOT crews drove 4.8 million miles, using nearly 371,785 tons of salt and 10.3 million gallons of liquid deicers to treat Ohio roads. This year the department has more than 810,000 tons of salt under its roof and more than 4.5 million gallons of liquid deicer.

“Unfortunately, when someone does hit a snowplow, they are more likely to be injured than the plow driver, so it’s important for motorists to give our crews plenty of room to work,” Borell said.

She added that District 11 has only experienced one snow plow strike, which occurred in Carroll County, but she said that the negative trend continues statewide.