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Snow and ice that fly off moving vehicles can be hazardous for other drivers, which is why the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) encourages motorists to thoroughly clean their cars off before beginning a journey in the wake of a snowstorm.
A Pennsylvania law enacted in 2006 is another reason to practice common sense when it comes to removing snow and ice from vehicles. The law states that if ice or snow dislodges from your vehicle and strikes another vehicle or person, causing death or bodily injury, you could be fined $200 to $1,000, per offense.
In recent years local state Sen. Lisa Boscola (D-18) has campaigned for a strengthening of this law, to require drivers to make reasonable efforts to remove all snow or ice from their vehicles before driving. The enhanced legislation would also empower law enforcement to ticket drivers if they believe ice or snow on their vehicles could pose a threat to other people or property, the Express-Times reported in 2011.
To date, however, Boscola’s efforts have proven fruitless.
In a story published in March, WFMZ-TV Channel 69 News highlighted opposition to the proposed law from the commercial trucking industry, due to safety concerns for drivers who might attempt to climb onto the roofs of their rigs to clear snow and ice.
Boscola–in response to the concerns–touted a device at a Walgreens warehouse in Lower Nazareth Township that scrapes ice and snow off the tops of tractor-trailers.
Across the Delaware River in New Jersey, motorists who fail to remove snow or ice from their cars can be fined $25 to $75 for each offense, “regardless of whether the ice and snow is dislodged from the vehicle,” according to the state’s Office of the Attorney General. “If flying ice or snow causes property damage or injury to others, motorists face fines of $200 to $1,000 for each offense,” the state’s Department of Law & Public Safety website states.
Without a similar law in place in Pennsylvania, accidents such as one that occurred in Plainfield Township, Northampton County in February are essentially not punishable.
In the February accident, according to a NBC1o News report, a car windshield was shattered after a large slab of ice flew off the roof of a tractor-trailer on Route 33.
Pennsylvania State Police told the TV news station that since no one was injured or killed in the accident, even if they found the truck responsible the most they could do would be to issue a warning.
For more information about winter driving in Pennsylvania, including tips and preparedness, visit the Just Drive PA website.
TELL US: Has your car ever been hit by snow or ice that flew off another car or truck? Do you think Pennsylvania’s law regarding snow and ice removal from vehicles should be toughened? Why or why not?