Law Would Require Cleaning Ice, Snow From Cars

The Associated Press ^ | September 15, 2005 | AP

[MCCRon58]

"""""Okay, now how far do you think an ice sheet from an 18-wheeler would travel through the air?"""""

Ice sheets do not "fly through the air" Small chunks of snow do, but the ice tends to fall off the back, or slide off the side when going around a corner. Thin chunks can go airborne, but those are no bigger than anything that comes off a car.

If you want trucks to be ice free, I recommend you get used to doing without a lot of things, as trucks will just quit delivering (and picking up) products in any area anal-retentive enough to pass such a nanny state law.


Sad to say, you cannot legislate a hazard free existence. Living, and I mean truly living, by definition is hazardous. Get used to it, or stay home in bed.

[MCCRon58]

"""""In 1997 a co-worker was decapitated by a sheet of ice that flew off the top of the semi in front of him. He was on his way home from work. Killed instantly - closed coffin funeral""""

Is there a news story on this? I as a trucker, am interested.

[OXENinFLA]

a chunk of ice falling off the top of an 18-wheeler can be deadly.

My dad, who's a truckdriver, had that happened once. The truck in front of him and over one lane had a giant slab of ice slide off and when it fell it hit my dad's passenger window flat and blew it in. He had about a 30" round hole in his window and glass all over the inside of the cab.

He said he was really lucky it didn't hit on the driver's side. It probably would have killed him, or caused a really bad accident.

[MCCRon58]

Legislating courtesy????Whats next, fines for bad manners.


Come on people. Think through ALL the ramifications of what you want big brother to do, BEFORE you tell him to do it.

This is yet another example of how no matter how much we complain, in truth, we get exactly the government we want, as opposed to the government we should have.

[Labyrinthos]

I don't have a problem with a law like this. Anyone who has driven along a highway and sustained windshield or body damage from a chunk of ice flying off the roof of some jack@ss who didn't bother clearing off his vehicle understands what I'm talking about.

Except a new law is totally unneccessary because current law -- reckless driving -- already prohibits a person from operating a motor vehicle in a reckless or unsafe manner. There comes a point in time where we need to enforce the laws on the books rather than passing new laws.

[DCPatriot]

I bet you've never had a huge chunk of ice fly off the car in front of you and bounce on your hood, then into your windshield at highway speeds...

I bet you tailgate, don't you?

[DouglasKC]

Obviously the lawmakers have drivers who clean off their ice and snow. I'd like to see them drive in a snowstorm and keep ice and snow off their car. Another issue that comes to mind is how do you determine how much is too much?

[Rocket1968]

I live in Maine. Every winter I see a dozen or so cars on the road after every big storm, with just a peep hole for the driver to look out. They are usually all over the road and "shedding" snow and ice like a dog with mange. I cringe when I see them coming. If you can't get your lazy a-- out of bed a few minutes early to clean off your car, maybe you should sit in the slammer until you smarten up. I hate the nanny state too, but getting dangerous individuals off the road seems legitimate to me.

[OXENinFLA]

You exagerate. A 50 pound block of ice would be about 1 ft thick, 2 ft. by 3 ft. and it would be solid ice not the crackly, crumbly stuff normally on cars.

I hate to burst your (frozen) bubble but what you described, a 1' x 2' x 3' cube of ice, would weigh. apx 330 lbs.

[defconw]

Ot Check out C-Span 2 The Rats are pulling a live haering on Halliburton!

[proudofthesouth]

Liberals are a disease on society.

So true! So true!

[proudofthesouth]

Will politicans be exempt from this? I bet they will be.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[Hemingway's Ghost]

Liberal Lunacy.

Actually, this law kind of makes sense. Chunks of ice flying from improperly-cleared cars or trucks on the highway can cause severe problems---and it is definitely a matter of willful negligence that the cars or trucks are improperly-cleaned in the first place. I can't tell you how many times I've seen cars covered with snow except for two little peep-holes for the windshield and rear window out on the road like it was a sunny day in July.

[wbill]

yet you may not be aware that they came out with the 'clean hands' initiative....

Too late....there was a huge sign in my former employers bathroom that stated (I'm paraphrasing, here) "OSHA standards require all employees to wash their hands after using the bathroom".

I never saw the standards enforced, however. There weren't any bathroom monitors......yet.

[T Minus Four]

I don't have a problem either - in fact, I think there is such a law here in Utah, although everyone ignores it. Once I had a semi almost total me. It must have been 50 cubic feet of snow from his trailer roof that came at me at 70 mph. It was the day after the snowstorm, the roads were dry, and the sun was out.

I wish carwashes would offer a one-minute warm-water drive-through during icy, snowy weather for maybe a dollar. Just enough to get the chunks off and your windows clear.

[BlueMoose]

I bet they have never seen Ice and snow or the damage it can do. I can not understand why this kind of law would be necessary. I people would just use sense and think of the safety of others.

[BlueMoose]

Have you ever seen snow?

[N. Theknow]

Biggest danger is not from cars but from 18 wheelers.

Saw a flying chunk completely blow out a windshield last winter and the trucker never knew a thing.

[BlueMoose]

Any one that actually lived in Alaska would know this is not true. BTW it is the law here.