hotdram

Snow and Ice Removal from Vehicles in PA

Please don't turn this into a political discussion about legislating common sense and your "rights" to not have to remove snow and ice from your windshield. If you can't see out of your windshield you are a danger to yourself and ME. This law applies to not just the windshield only, but all snow/ice build up.

~Rob

hubmonkey

I think that alot of states have that type of law. Oklahoma does but it is rarely enforced. I am not sure what the fine is, they did a story on the news during the ice storms here.

The one that really makes me mad is the lack of law that protects my windsheild from gravel trucks. Try to get one to pay for your broken windsield from rocks falling off the litle tray on the back of the Dumptruck.

Hub

Hoss

I believe that the law in Texas says anything that falls or comes off of your vehicle is your responsibility, so if it causes damage to another car or injures a person then you are liable for the damages.

Of course, it is rarely enforced unless the person in the damaged car manages to chase down the offending vehicle.

CTDPower11

I once got pulled over for my truck being to muddy. It had just rained several inches and I was out checking oil wells for my father. Got done and was heading into town to have lunch with a friend. Officer pulls me over and TELLS me to go wash my vehicle due to the mud being hazardous to other drivers... Kinda weird...

Shovelhead

We got around 2 inches of ice/sleet/freezing rain a couple of weeks ago.
News shows the following days were reporting MANY, MANY folks whose cars were being damaged by slabs of ice flying off of lazy folk's cars and crashing through windshields and denting sheetmetal while the oblivious slobs just kept merrily driving on down the road.
(I've seen some nearly the size of the vehicle roof come off all at one time)

CD in NM

I think that law is pretty much in all states. It is here in New Mexico along with laws regarding mud flaps and tarps on gravel trucks, etc. Here if ANYTHING falls OFF or is thrown OFF your vehicle it is your responsibility. If your tires have aggressive tread you MUST have mud flaps, I heard someone getting that speech at a tire dealer when they were getting TOYO mud terrains installed, and they do ticket for it too. Snow, ice, dirt of a measurable amount blocking your vision has a fine, so you have to wash your windshield every so often. They even get strange about decals on any of your glass and where they are located, fine there too. Most often you just get a verbal warning the first time for dirt, you get a fix-it ticket the first time for no flaps. Here they note ALL on your DL records as a disposition, and the second time you're pulled over you get a ticket/fine. Once you have had a verbal warning that's it no second chances. The officer clearly states this to you at the time, after that you are held accountable. All this coming from a state that is at the nations tops for drunk drivers and repeat drunk driving offenses, with most all of them still driving after license revocation.

CD

megajoltman

They sure don't clean them off here, had a little bit of snow/frost today and people were driving around with most of there windows blocked.Got cut off by one IDIOT who couldn't see out his windows

greasemonki

I'm pretty sure NY has the same type of law. It just doesn't seem to be enforced all that much. I leave plenty of room when I'm running behind some one covered in snow.

htgreen3

This discussion has been going on over on PumpkinDriver.com (Schneider truck drivers). It appears that most states have a law that covers anything coming off your vehicle you are responsible for. I can see someone getting up on their 53' trailer and clearing the snow and ice.

smokindog

Driving out of the pumpkin patch you should be seeing that. I've seen several truck terminals that have drive through scrapers for just that reason. A heavy snow adds a substantial amount of weight to those very weak aluminum or plastic roofs.

badme

New Hampshire has it, the fine is also $1000.00

ratat98

Oklahoma does??? Really? Oops...

Haulin_in_Dixie

I don't think that Alabama has this law

06dually

I can see the law for the windshield/glass.....but for snow buildup on the rest of the vehicle isnt fair. Just this morning we were in a winter storm/blizzard warning and when I left the house my truck was bone dry (heated garage), and after driving around for a few hours the whole rear of the truck had about two inches of snow built up and running boards were overflowing with snow and slush (also wheelwells were overtaken with snow/slush). I could see in the rearview mirror eveytime I hit a bump a chunk of something would fall/bounce off. Now when starting with a dry truck am I supposed to stop 15 times a day and clear my truck off??? In a blizzard?? On the side of the road?

Tate

How close are these other drivers following? I've seen lots of ice and snow fall off vehicles (nothing the size of a roof, mind you), and it hits the ground and slides along, never seen it bounce up before.