The latest storm dropped a light fluffy snow to shovel, but also left slippery treacherous conditions blamed for two deadly accidents. Iowa’s public-safety agencies have declared some areas “no-tow” regions for now.The Public Safety Department’s Jim Saunders says the State Patrol evaluates when conditions are too bad to have tow-trucks out there, and when they may make it more dangerous trying to haul cars out of the ditches, so at times the cars are best left off the road for a while. Saunders says towing companies will work with the ditched drivers to plan a time they can safely retrieve their wheels. When the weather stabilizes and the roads are safer, he says they’ll come and start pulling people out of ditches but nobody wants the tow-truck drivers making the situation more hazardous. Saunders says troopers had their hands full Monday checking on accidents and stranded motorists.He says if people who slide off the road have a way to call for help, officers will come give them a ride to safety if it’s possible, but they may have to leave their cars off the road for a while. The “No Tow” declaration may not be law, but Saunders says tow-truck drivers comply because they don’t want to put themselves at risk. Many will take calls and go retrieve ditched vehicles as soon as it’s appropriate to make the trip.
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