Severe weather safety on the road

You may have experienced this yourself in the past: You're driving on a Michiana highway when all of a sudden, you drive right into a very heavy downpour! Next, comes pea-sized hailstones that slowly grow in size. Eventually, you realize you have to slow down or stop completely on the open highway and seek shelter, so what's the first thing you're looking for? I would probably guess an overpass to hide under. And plenty of others would have the same idea.

For example, take a look at this video shot last summer on I-70 in Kansas.

Hail stops traffic on I-70 near Quinter, Kansas. #kswx@NWSGoodland Actually it was people hiding under an overpass that stopped the flow. Stay safe! @spann#StormHourpic.twitter.com/vUuwx7WcaQ

— John McKinney (@jmckinneywx1) May 19, 2018

Traffic was caught in a hail storm on the open road and most vehicles ended up stranding the other cars behind them. This is a dangerous and honestly selfish thing to do. If you're ever caught in a storm like this, don't try and hide under the overpass, it'll only block traffic behind and force others trying to find shelter to sit out in the storm.

And what if you see a tornado coming towards you? You really don't want to head towards the overpass then! The wind will only pick up when going under the overpass in that scenario, creating an even more dangerous situation for you, your car, and everyone else around you. The best plan of action when caught outside is to pull off on the nearest exit, head for a gas station or sturdy structure and take shelter there.