Don’t Be This Guy! It’s Not Only Dangerous, It’s Illegal in New York

Don't be this guy. Not only is it dangerous to the person driving behind you, which is usually me. It's also illegal.

It's against the law to not clear all the snow and ice off your vehicle before hitting the road. And that includes the snow on the roof too. Driving with only a small hole in the back or front window may be just enough for you to see but what about your peripheral, or the other cars on the road? All that snow and ice is going to blow off, right into the windshield of the driver behind you. And heavy forbid if all that snow is one sheet of ice. It could crash right through the glass, causing an accident or worse, killing the driver.

The Vehicle and Traffic Law in New York State requires all surfaces of motor vehicles to be cleared of accumulated snow, sleet, hail, or anything else that obstructs the driver's view.

When vehicles travel with accumulated amounts of snow or ice on top of their roof, it is very likely to be blinding to other vehicles traveling behind them and cause accidents.

It's not just the windows either. The snow needs to be cleared from the entire vehicle. If not, drivers could face fines anywhere from $150 to $850.

Headlights and taillights, the windshield wipers, and all the windows must be cleared. Additionally, license plates must be visible, headlights should provide adequate illumination, and all lights should be visible to other motorists.

Take a little extra time to clean off your entire vehicle instead of hitting the road with just a small hole in the back window like this guy in Vestal, New York. From the looks of it, a quick arm sweep was all that was done. How lazy can you be?

Snow in the Road

Blowing snow from your car is just as illegal as blowing snow from your driveway into the road.

No person shall throw or deposit upon any highway any …snow or …other substance likely to injure any person, animal, or vehicle upon such highway.

The penalties for blowing snow into the road can go as far as 15 days in jail or a $150 fine.

Now if we can just get legislation passed that would somehow avoid plows blowing snow back into our driveways, usually right after we finish clearing it out.