(LEWES, Del.)- Common sense tells us that motorists should remove snow and ice from the surface of their vehicles, including the windows and mirrors, before venturing out on area roadways. Yet, some drivers with mountains of snow and ice atop their vehicles will still take to the snowplowed highways and un-plowed neighborhood streets.
"It is a matter of safety, courtesy and common sense," says Jim Lardear, Director of Public and Government Affairs at AAA Mid-Atlantic, noting that Delaware does not have a snow removal law on the books. New Jersey and Pennsylvania have laws requiring drivers of vehicles to remove snow or ice from their cars before driving. Maryland, like Delaware, does not have such a law.
For example, according to the Pennsylvania State Police, the operator of a vehicle can be fined from $500 up to $1,500, if the snow or ice is dislodged or falls from a moving vehicle and strikes another vehicle or pedestrian causing death or serious bodily injury.
In June 2014, Senator Greg Lavelle (R, Sharpley) introduced SB 237, which would have placed a duty on the drivers of motor vehicles to clean ice and snow off of their vehicles prior to driving on the Delaware highways. SB 237 also would have added greater penalties for ice or snow dislodging from a moving vehicle and causing physical injury or property damage. The bill was assigned to the Senate's Public Safety Committee but did not move before the session ended.
"Driving on icy or snowy roads is already dangerous enough without having to dodge chunks of snow and ice falling off big-rigs and other moving vehicles," Lardear says. "Such laws are designed to reduce the number and seriousness of accidents caused by snow or ice becoming dislodged from motor vehicles. Make sure you give yourself extra time to completely clean snow from the roof, hood and trunk. After major events such as this, it can be a matter of life or death if drivers fail to remove the snow and ice."
