Why do so many drivers in this area fail to remove all the snow from their cars? (Pittsburgh: taxes, to live)

[ditchdigger]

It’s not illegal to drive with snow and ice on your car. The driver is held accountable (if they can be located) if said snow and ice cause an accident.

This was mentioned somewhere up-thread, so I went looking for it, but didn't bother posting it at the time. I was kind of surprised that the law doesn't really require anything.





Found here: Rules of the Road

Clearing off your vehicle:In the winter it is important to clear all snow and ice from your vehicle. Not only does it prevent a hazard from snow and ice that may fall from your vehicle, it also provides an unobstructed view.

Pennsylvania Vehicle Code Law:
3720. Snow and ice dislodged or falling from moving vehicle.
When snow or ice is dislodged or falls from a moving vehicle and strikes another vehicle or pedestrian causing death or serious bodily injury as defined in section 3742 (relating to accidents involving death or personal injury), the operator of the vehicle from which the snow or ice is dislodged or falls shall be subject to a fine of not less than $200 nor more than $1,000 for each offense.

In a nutshell, PghYinzer is right. It's only illegal when it falls off the vehicle and causes serious personal harm.

Now, if you're one of the ones that only cleans a 6" porthole to peer through the windshield, I'm sure they have some catch-all about negligent operation that'll cover it.

It's still a good practice, regardless of the letter of the law.

[PghYinzer]

Oh I whole heartedly agree, people who don’t clean off their cars drive me nuts. However, it is not illegal. (I am kind of a knit pick for accuracy)

[jay5835]

Originally Posted by PghYinzer

(I am kind of a knit pick for accuracy)

Then you'll want to know it's "nitpick" (or, more correctly, "nitpicker").

[PghYinzer]

Originally Posted by jay5835

Then you'll want to know it's "nitpick" (or, more correctly, "nitpicker").

Doh!

I can’t even try to lie my way out of that one because I definitely wasn’t referring to the Knit Picks I found online...

"We're an online knit shop passionately committed to affordable luxury knitting and crochet."

[Merge]

I saw some idiot last week in an escalade (I know, I know that's redundant) driving around with his/her license plate covered. Maybe he/she is keeping his/her undocumented domestic workers in the garage and can't properly care for his/her vehicle?

[NYCTelevisionWriter]

Originally Posted by bmantz65

True but somehow lots of people don't store their cars in a garage (I know I would if I had a garage) and instead use it as another junk room because they don't want to haul the junk down to the basement or they store outdoor stuff in there because they don't have/want a shed.

At least that is what happened to the garage in my house growing up. What a waste of a nice feature.

The snow thing is annoying and dangerous. I have a mini-van and I have an extendable extra long brush for the snow. All the big car owners should have one. I think it was $9.

When I was visiting home and working out at the Oxford Athletic Club in Wexford, I was on the elliptical next to two orange-colored women who were chatting away (what is it with North Hills women and their fake tans? Hello you're not fooling anybody, you're 400 miles away from the nearest beach).

The one woman said to the other: "I FINALLY cleaned out the garage enough to pull one of the cars in!"

Her friend asked: "Wait, don't you have a FOUR car garage?"

Response: "Yeah. But baby steps, you know?"

Oy.

[Annie53]

Originally Posted by North Beach Person

You've been brainwashed.

Don't forget those drivers who only clear a 6 inch hole to see out of on their windshield and leave the snow/ice covering the rest of the windows.

I live in NE Ohio, very close to PA.

Before I retired, I worked afternoon turn and would get off work at 12:30 or 1:00 am, you wouldn't believe how many people would run out of work and take off with nothing but a 6 inch hole cleared on their windshield.

At that time of night, what the hell is the big hurry? {I am pretty sure most of them weren't racing to a bar before last call, LOL}

I couldn't stand not being able to see, how dangerous.

I would always start my car, then take my time cleaning off as much snow and ice as I could.

1. I wanted to be able to see, be as safe as possible driving home on bad roads.

2. I wanted as little snow and ice as possible on the car when I pulled into the garage, didn't want all that snow and ice melting all over the garage floor. {I would even knock those large clumps of snow off the wheel wells once in the garage and sweep them out into the driveway}

3. Sometimes it was so cold I could barely stop my leg from shaking when trying to hold my foot on the gas pedal, so....the car was usually nice and warm inside by the time I was done meticulously removing the snow and ice. Win/win.

[eschaton]

Apropos to the thread, last weekend my wife asked me to take our other car (which we don't use much) for a spin and told me she "cleaned the snow off."

Of course, it still had a full pad of snow on its roof, hood, and trunk. I put an end to that quickly.

I suppose it could be worse. Her father is one of those people who only cleans two lines in his driveway, one for his tires on the left side, and one for his tires on the right.

[szug-bot]

Originally Posted by Annie53

I live in NE Ohio, very close to PA.

Before I retired, I worked afternoon turn and would get off work at 12:30 or 1:00 am,

It might be a personality thing - you had patience to take the time to do it at that hour. If I were in my 20s, I could see myself being one of those people just thinking "it's fine" and dashing off to home.

That must have been fun - getting off a night shift at that hour then dealing with snow. Did you work in industry?

[Annie53]

Originally Posted by szug-bot

It might be a personality thing - you had patience to take the time to do it at that hour. If I were in my 20s, I could see myself being one of those people just thinking "it's fine" and dashing off to home.

That must have been fun - getting off a night shift at that hour then dealing with snow. Did you work in industry?

It was a lot better than working day turn.....having to BE at work at 6:00 or 6:30 am..... leaving home at 5:30 am or earlier, before the snow plows were even out. Trying to decide how much extra time you are going to need to get to work on time. I was not fond of getting to work 20, 30 minutes or more before I had to be there.

Working afternoon the roads were always cleared on the way to work, when time was of the essence. Leaving work, I had all of the time in the world to make it back home and very few, if any, other cars on the road to deal with......them sliding into me or me sliding into them....or some semi barreling past you, throwing tons of slush and snow on your windshield, blinding you in their wake.