Why isn't there a law against...

[Swift]

...not getting all the snow off your car?

In Maryland now, there is a law against leaving your vehicle unattending while running. You can get a 60$ ticket and a point on your license! So, the next time you go to warm up your car(as you should do on a cold morning for many reasons) you may get a ticket.

But to the point of the thread. It snowed last night, not a lot but a few inches. So there is snow on some peoples cars. Not mine, I have a car cover. But some people don't and leave the snow on the hood, roof and trunk of your car. Now, that's fine if you're going 10mph, but when you're on an interstate highway that's just not going to work. Period.

I was following someone on I-95 this morning in an oldsmobile sedan. Going about 60 or so and the snow from the top of their car starts to fly off in large chunks. Now, fortunately I was about 5 car lengths away, but what if I wasn't? What if I was just 2 car lengths away and that icy snow hit my windsheild? My point it, it's beyond dangerous to leave snow on your car while it's moving to everyone around you. And if it's on the hood, it's a danger to the driver.

We have laws about what you can't do with you're own car when you're NOT EVEN DRIVING but we don't have anything about getting your car safe for highway travel after it snows.

What do you think?

 

[Danoff]

I'm pretty sure you can be ticketed for anything that falls off of your car and creates a hazard in the road.

 

[Swift]

I'm pretty sure you can be ticked for anything that falls off of your car and creates a hazard in the road.

Right, but it has to fall off first. That's the problem. Before it happens they won't do anything. That's jacked. You can get a ticket for a busted headlight/tailight/brakelight, for warming up your car, leaving your KEYS in the car. But not for driving around with 4 inches of snow on your roof...

 

[Danoff]

Right, but it has to fall off first. That's the problem. Before it happens they won't do anything. That's jacked. You can get a ticket for a busted headlight/tailight/brakelight, for warming up your car, leaving your KEYS in the car. But not for driving around with 4 inches of snow on your roof...

Other drivers need to see your headlights/tailights/brakelights - so you need to keep those fixed. But what harm have you done if you get to work and the snow didn't fall off?

(the unattended car thing is a stupid law btw)

 

[Slick6]

What gets me is people that will scrape their front and side windows enough to just 'barely' see, leaving the back completely snow and ice covered. When it's crappy out like that, you need to be able to see around you as much as possible.

 

[crimson_menace]

The unattended car law is ghey. Screw that.

About the snow on the car thing: Everyone should have to remove the snow from the cars, for it is a hazard to themselves and to others.

 

[Zardoz]

...What do you think?

I think I'm lucky I never, ever have to deal with stuff like that.

 

[Flerbizky]

I was following someone on I-95 this morning in an oldsmobile sedan. Going about 60 or so and the snow from the top of their car starts to fly off in large chunks. Now, fortunately I was about 5 car lengths away, but what if I wasn't? What if I was just 2 car lengths away and that icy snow hit my windsheild?

Nothing.. Absolutely nothing... For the icy snow to hit your wind screen, you'd have to be very close to the car in front of you - and if you're THAT close, the snow would still be deccelerating and carrying almost the same speed as you... Replace Icy Snow with bricks and you have a point...

My point it, it's beyond dangerous to leave snow on your car while it's moving to everyone around you. And if it's on the hood, it's a danger to the driver.

What do you think?

That it's annoying that I have to turn on my wipers.. Besides that - not much...

 

[Swift]

Nothing.. Absolutely nothing... For the icy snow to hit your wind screen, you'd have to be very close to the car in front of you - and if you're THAT close, the snow would still be deccelerating and carrying almost the same speed as you... Replace Icy Snow with bricks and you have a point...

No, at 60mph that stuff can go a pretty good distance. Not to mention the sheer instinct reaction most people have from something flying at you while driving.

 

[Flerbizky]

No, at 60mph that stuff can go a pretty good distance. Not to mention the sheer instinct reaction most people have from something flying at you while driving.

We get snow here every winter... I have NEVER EVER seen, nor heard, of what you're describing. Nor have I ever heard of someone getting into an accident because of snow (even Icy snow) falling off the car in front of you..

Besides - IF there's snow on the car in front of you - and IF you're close enough to have it fall off and HIT your windscreen - you're obviously driving without due care since the has to be icy spots and whatnot.... How do I know ?.. The snow hasn't melted...

 

[Kylehnat]

How about there be a law against it just becuase it's ghetto? It looks stupid, and takes a whole 2 minutes to brush the majority of it off the car. Also, when we get significant snows here, it is very wet. Wet snow weighs A TON, and can't be good for gas mileage

 

[FoolKiller]

I agree with Swift on this one. Last year we had a half inch of snow followed by about two inches of sleet and then a good layer of freezing rain. Everyone not parked in a garage or covered in some way had approximately 2-3 inches of pure ice on their car with a small layer of snow underneath. Because teh road crews had done their jobs and teh interstates were dry and white with salt no one took them slow.

I clean my car off completely because for visual reasons it is safer. I know some people in small cars couldn't see clearly with that much stuff on their hoods. Because of the underlying snow a simple push with your hand cleared the entire hood. While driving an SUV in front of me had the little porthole sized ares scraped on their windshield and nothing else. All traffic was doing about 65-70 mph when I saw the huge chunk break free. Slamming on the brakes wasn't an option with rush hour traffic, so I just let off the gas. The ice fell low enough to hit my grill and then go underneath my car. The metal body work around the grill had a dent and the plastic grill was busted pretty good.

I don't know if it was enough to break a windshield but it was enough to dent sheet metal and give me a good scare. The only thing I can compare it to is when the goose flew into the side of my windshield about two weeks ago.

 

[Blackbird.]

Even though I don't drive I always sneak the keys with me and startup the car and leave it out there while the heater runs and the car's engine is warm. (We all know driving a car right after you turn it on it's bad for it[over time])

 

[Kylehnat]

FoolKiller has a point. SNOW is not the problem necessarily, but if it compacts and turns into ICE, that is very dangerous to have flying around on the interstate. Like I mentioned before, our snow here is typically very wet. Leave that snow on your car overnight, and it will be ice in the morning.

 

[sicbeing]

I live in FL, no snow, so I can't relate, but if someone had dirt on their car and it was flinging off behind them at me, well I'd just passthem/slowdown/honk/brights/mumbletomyself.

I don't think there should be a law against snow on your car, number 1 it's a dumb law that no one (most likely) is going to police (we in FL where I live now have a new law saying that it's illegal to turn without a turn signal, and yet I still see cops not only disobeying this law, but I've seen cops take a right turn while never being in the turning lane!) and number 2 wouldnt it be a waste of time to bill out in the first place? maybe even a waste of money?

 

[Joey D]

In Michigan there is a law, if you have a "dangerous" amount of snow on your vehicle you will be pulled over. I've heard of a few people getting ticketed for it and it's a $95 price tag that comes along with it.

I always brush off my truck before I go anywhere, but then again I have remote start so the windows are clear by the time I go out to the truck.

 

[Swift]

We get snow here every winter... I have NEVER EVER seen, nor heard, of what you're describing. Nor have I ever heard of someone getting into an accident because of snow (even Icy snow) falling off the car in front of you..

Besides - IF there's snow on the car in front of you - and IF you're close enough to have it fall off and HIT your windscreen - you're obviously driving without due care since the has to be icy spots and whatnot.... How do I know ?.. The snow hasn't melted...

Well, then you simply don't get it.

On the way home from work today it happened again. This time it was an SUV. And it was PASSING me on the left side, so it was fairly close. While it was passing me, some of the icy snow on the top broke off and hit my car. The SUV was passing me, so it was his fault of his proximity to my car.

All I'm trying to say is that it's a pretty serious hazard.

 

[Gil]

In places where it is really cold, it is hard to get a lot of the snow off of the vehicle IF it sits outside. The snow turns to ice. It becomes a problem when the interior of the care gets warm and then the underlying layer gets melted and slips off of the car.

I have to agree that if you are so close that at more than 40 MPH chunks fall off of the vehicle in front of you and HIT your car, you are entirely too close.
My cars live inside so they rarely have lots of snow on them in the winter. (The kids cars are a different story). And I do hate it when snow is flying off of the semis and trailers. On them it is sufficiently high enough to fly a long way off of the back.

 

[Plague.Ghost]

This is a bit of a tricky dilemma, and I'm sure someone has thought of it before. But since it's fairly obvious, I think the onis (sp?) to not get hit by the snowy ice is on the person behind said vehicle.

Also, you can be charged with following too close to a vehicle if you rear-end them in sudden-braking or spin-out conditions.

 

[eliseracer]

I've lived in Montreal, Canada, all of my life. Never have I ever seen anything like this be a problem (bar 98's Ice Storm, which caused a lot of problems). The piece of snow hits your car, and that's it. The speed limit is a set speed on normal conditions. If it has been snowing/hailing/sleet/whatever else falls from above, you shouldn't be driving 70mph anyways.

The people who leave the snow on their cars are just as likely to get hit by someone else's flying snow, so they can get just as frustrated as you, yet they don't seem to be as bothered.

 

[ND4SPD]

Its even scarier when you're behind a semi truck and a huge chunk of ice falls off.

 

[James2097]

I will never have this problem in Aus, but my two cents anyway:

Clear the snow off your car to be nice and considerate, maybe make it a safety initiative (like driving while too tired or drowsy is in Aus). Its kinda hard to judge and make this thing a crime... For instance: How much snow is illegal/legal? What compound of snow is illegal/legal? How can you prove the snow itself caused an accident if the evidence just melts away and is in a permanent state of change? How can you prove a dangerous amount of snow was on the offending car after the incident (presuming you call the cops) if it all melts off the offending car or can easily be cleaned off before/while the cops come? Isn't it a little annoying to expect everyone without a car-cover/garage to clean their cars thoroughly every single time they go to the shops/work?

I agree with Swift that its probably a valid risk and a potential danger that requires some sort of safety initiative, but I find it tricky to see how an anti-snow-on-your-car law could be enforced in a convenient and sensible way where the majority of people won't just complain and jump up and down about the added hassle!

Many Americans won't even take the time to put on a seatbelt (sub 2-secs)! Very non-safety conscious! They'll never take the time to clean the snow off their car too well before using it everyday (especially when the benefit is mainly to other road users - not likely in a selfish society like the states)!

 

[Swift]

I've lived in Montreal, Canada, all of my life. Never have I ever seen anything like this be a problem (bar 98's Ice Storm, which caused a lot of problems). The piece of snow hits your car, and that's it. The speed limit is a set speed on normal conditions. If it has been snowing/hailing/sleet/whatever else falls from above, you shouldn't be driving 70mph anyways.

The people who leave the snow on their cars are just as likely to get hit by someone else's flying snow, so they can get just as frustrated as you, yet they don't seem to be as bothered.

First, the speed limit is 65 on the major interstate in Maryland so going 70 is not driving recklessly by any stretch. This was when it was very sunny and no more chance of snow durring that day and the roads had been cleared very well. So basically it simply looked like it had been raining on the street.

I guess the snow in Montreal is different then here. Probably because it's more humid here. But it IS and issue that most people don't seem to care about until it dents or dings their car.

It's basically like this. Have snow on your roof, trunk and hood can come off at any time. It's like driving around with an open garbage back on your car. So that stuff comes off and hits other peoples cars, how is that possibly fair to the other drivers that CLEANED their cars off?

 

[eliseracer]

The people who didn't clean their cars have the exact same problem as you. They are just as likely to get hit.

Have the authorities look for the more serious infractions, speeding, drunk driving, etc.

 

[Plague.Ghost]

Swift, you shouldn't be following a car that close anyway. You know it's a hazard and it has the potential to come off, so just fall back. Problem solved.

Millions of motorists go through the same ordeal, just deal with it.

 

[FoolKiller]

Swift, you shouldn't be following a car that close anyway. You know it's a hazard and it has the potential to come off, so just fall back. Problem solved.

Exactly how far back should that be? When they come off the hood and ramp up the windshield I have seen a couple that got a good air gust under them and then fly up high enough to come down two or three car lengths back. These are solid sheets of ice that are an inch or two thick and hold their shape and size (usually matching that of the hood) until they hit something.

I question the idea of a law but I do hate that people don't clean this stuff off. A law would be hard to write since just a powdery snow mix is no problem, except for the visibilty of the guilty driver. There are too many logitics to actually create a law.

That said, some people here seem to think that this is no big deal or a case of riding too close to someone else's car. Let me give an example that doesn't have to do with ice. One time a pick-up truck with a bed full of tobacco sticks (inch thick, three foot long sticks, pointy on both ends, used for hanging tobacco) was riding in front of me. He hits a pothole and one of the sticks bounces out of the bed. I was probably three car lengths back and the stick actually had time to hit the ground and bounce back up about two feet or so. It landed back on the ground just before I hit it, so it went under my tires, but it then broke in two and shot up and hit the grill of the truck behind me, where it exploded into splinters. If it had managed to do significant damage to my car or the truck behind me, or any car, caused an accident, or had injured and/or killed anyone would the driver of the truck be responsible because he had not properly secured his load?

 

[194GVan]

would the driver of the truck be responsible because he had not properly secured his load?

I would hope so.

to get to the question at hand...I am one of those assholes that doesnt clean my roof off. Only if its really bad like a foot of snow but if its a few inches I dont even bother. Do you blame me? My roof is a pain to get to on a good day, not like I want to slip and break my arm or something for the sake of clearing a few inches of snow.

If its still crappy out Im going slow enough where it wont blow off, but if its fine out theres not usually someone riding my ass. If there is and some snow happens to blow off well I guess thats the price they pay for riding so close. We all know about the "2 second" rule when driving, I know no one really follows it but I sure as hell do when the weather is bad.

These are solid sheets of ice that are an inch or two thick and hold their shape and size (usually matching that of the hood) until they hit something.

I just have to ask.....so if people have sheets of ice an inch or two thick, you expect them to hack away at them with ice picks or scrapers? Im sorry, I would rather leave 2 inches of ice on my car than risk scratching the paint or denting the body trying to get it off.

 

[FoolKiller]

I would hope so.

to get to the question at hand...I am one of those assholes that doesnt clean my roof off. Only if its really bad like a foot of snow but if its a few inches I dont even bother. Do you blame me? My roof is a pain to get to on a good day, not like I want to slip and break my arm or something for the sake of clearing a few inches of snow.

If its still crappy out Im going slow enough where it wont blow off, but if its fine out theres not usually someone riding my ass. If there is and some snow happens to blow off well I guess thats the price they pay for riding so close. We all know about the "2 second" rule when driving, I know no one really follows it but I sure as hell do when the weather is bad.

So, if the guy with eth tobacco sticks is responsible would a person who didn't clean ice off their cars be responsible for damage to people behind them?

We are not complaining about dusty snow here, we are talking about thick ice. Nor are we talking about it just falling off the back of the vehicle but getting air under it and flying up into the air and landing multiple yards behind the vehicle it came from. I wouldn't care if it just slid off the back and landed inches away.

When my car was hit by ice I was about two car lengths back.

 

[Swift]

Swift, you shouldn't be following a car that close anyway. You know it's a hazard and it has the potential to come off, so just fall back. Problem solved.

Millions of motorists go through the same ordeal, just deal with it.

Well, I just plain don't like the fact that people are so lazy that they don't take the time to clear off their cars. It's just stupid.

Also, if you saw my other example, you'd know that it'd not always because I'm following someone else. It can be because they're passing me and it comes of then.

 

[194GVan]

would the driver of the truck be responsible because he had not properly secured his load?

Going back to this, truck drivers can get fined any time by an officer if they feel the load is not securely strapped down. I know this is the case for 18 wheelers, Im not sure about pickups and such.

So, if the guy with eth tobacco sticks is responsible would a person who didn't clean ice off their cars be responsible for damage to people behind them?

If the ice was not securely strapped to the car, then yes, the driver of the car should be responsible. Im not sure what you're trying to say, but its one thing to actually be transporting something, and another to have a thick sheet of ice on your car that is literally frozen to the body. Do you want me or anyone else for that matter to bust out the hairdryer to melt it next time so we dont risk it blowing off our cars? Ice is something you dont really have control over.

I agree, I took what you originally said a little out of context, as where I live we dont see much thick ice on cars, mostly just snow. The one time we did have a little ice, stupid me, I thought when I was scraping my moms windows it would be a good idea to scrape the ice from the hood. I didnt take into account I was using a metal scraper and what do you know, put a nice scratch into the hood. Maybe thats why Im subconciously against cleaning off a car really well I dont want to hurt the precious.