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Emergency Patrols Help Drivers In Brutal Cold

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Emergency crews are out in force Friday morning, to make sure you don't get stranded in the dangerous cold as you head out to work.

As CBS 2's Kris Habermehl reports, the Illinois Department of Transportation has dispatched its Zero Weather Patrols on area expressways, and IDOT-patrolled roadways in Cook County and some of the collar counties.

The Zero Weather Patrols are pressed into service when the wind chill reaches dangerous levels. On Friday morning, the air temperature was 2 below zero early Friday, and wind chills were in the negative teens or 20s.

The patrols will assist drivers who run out of gas, have flat tires, or see their fuel lines freeze up, so that motorists don't end up stranded in the dangerous cold. The patrols will take stranded drivers to an IDOT warming center, and arrange for towing or other services to get you back on the road as quickly as possible.

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