ADOT’s Name-A-Snowplow Contest winners announced

PHOENIX – After tallying more than 10,000 votes, Arizonans have chosen four new names in Arizona Department of Transportation’s fourth Name-A-Snowplow Contest.

The winning snowplow names are:

• Clearopathra
• Blizzard Wizard
• Scoopy-Doo
• Saltimus Prime

These winners beat out eight other finalists in the Name-A-Snowplow Contest, and the names have been placed on four snowplows at the Flagstaff maintenance yard where plow operators respond to winter weather on highways in Arizona’s high country. 

This contest helps bring awareness to the important work that ADOT snowplow operators do to make highway travel safer when winter storms hit the state.

ADOT has 200 snowplows and 400 operators who work in 12-hour shifts to lay down deicer and clear highways of ice and snow around the clock when winter storms hit. If you encounter a snowplow, remember:

• Never attempt to pass the plow. 
• Stay at least four car-lengths behind snowplows and equipment. 
• Slow down and give the plow extra room.

Find more winter driving safety tips at azdot.gov/KnowSnow.

About 2,300 names were submitted in the first phase of the contest in late January. Those entries were whittled down to 12 finalists that the public voted on.

Eight people entered variations of “Clearopathra” and nine people submitted “Blizzard Wizard.” Eighteen people submitted versions of “Scoopy-Doo” and the name “Saltimus Prime” was submitted twice. 

These four names join our dozen previous winners in the Name-A-Snowplow Contest, which includes “Blizzard of Oz,” “Fast and Flurryous,” “Scoopacabra,” “Alice Scooper,” “Snowguaro” and “Sleetwood Mac.”

ADOT’s snowplows are used year-round. Outside of the winter season, the plow blade is removed and the trucks are put to work on highway projects and in response to unplanned events