With heavy snow and high winds creating blizzard conditions and treacherous driving on Rhode Island roads today, Governor Dan McKee has updated his executive order to extend the travel ban to cover all motor vehicles until midnight. The ban prohibits tractor-trailers and all motor vehicles from operating on all state and local roads in Rhode Island.

The executive order provides exemptions for certain types of emergency response workers. Full details can be found at https://governor.ri.gov/executive-orders.

This modified restriction will continue to aid Rhode Island Department of Transportation plow drivers, as well as city and town plow drivers, as they work to keep to keep roadways passable and safe for emergency vehicles. It also will help limit crashes and disabled vehicles.

Any drivers who have to be out, including those permitted under the conditions of the bans, should drive with reduced speed, avoid distraction, and buckle up. And if you encounter plows, do not pass them. The safest place in a storm is a safe distance behind plow trucks.