Don’t Drive Off with Snow and Ice on the Car

• We get it. You think if you scrape a porthole in the mass of snow on your car’s windshield, you think you’ll be able to reach your destination safely. Maybe you will, maybe you won’t. But people can be killed if you decide to take that chance.
• There are laws on the books in some states requiring drivers to keep the snow off their car windows and roof, but even in places without such rules, police can still issue unsafe driving tickets or something similar.
• There are at least two states with laws named after someone who was killed in a crash caused by falling ice. Don’t be the driver who sets another such chain of events in motion.

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again, don’t drive with too much snow covering your car. Perhaps you remember the New Hampshire driver who got the Internet’s attention two years ago when they were charged with vehicular assault, reckless conduct, and negligent driving for the unusual situation where snow and ice flew off the roof of the box truck they were driving that injured the driver of the following car when it broke their windshield.

Seattle Timesget a $553 ticket from the Washington State Patrol

This past week, another driver was ticketed for unsafe winter driving in Washington State. No one was injured this time, according to the, but a driver did because their windshield was almost completely covered in snow. The picture posted by a State Patrol trooper (above) shows the driver didn’t seem to try very hard to clear more than a periscope view through the snow. The person apparently drove more than five miles with this limited view, which got the police involved. As you can see, driving in the winter without cleaning any snow from your vehicle can have negative effects, either on your wallet or on nearby people. While only a handful of states have actual laws against driving without clearing off ice and snow, you can still be stopped in other states if law enforcement believes that the white stuff preventing you from seeing where you’re going falls into.

Some States Have Cracked Down

One of the strictest state snow removal laws is in effect in New Hampshire. Known as Jessica’s Law after the woman (Jessica Smith) who was killed when falling ice caused a multi-vehicle crash, this 2001 law charges first-time offenders with a minimum fine of at least $250. The second offense comes with a potential $1000 fine, and after that—for whatever kind of driver needs a third strike here—a driver may face points on their license or a short-term loss of license. A Pennsylvania law, known as Christine’s Law, for a similar unfortunate case of yet another innocent road user who was killed by ice falling from another vehicle, took effect earlier this year. This new law requires drivers to clean snow and ice off their vehicles at least 24 hours after heavy snowfall. Fines start at $50 (but can reach $1500).

Given the repeated deaths from people not scraping their cars clean in the winter, it’s obvious people need help keeping themselves and others safe. Even if you don’t consider a monetary fine a good enough reason to scrape your car, listen to Linda Smith, who spoke with media in 2015 after the death of her daughter, Jessica.

“It takes not even five minutes to clean off your car,” she told WMUR at the time. “It can take three seconds to kill somebody.”

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