(WHTM) — Winter is in full swing, which means it’s common to see cars driving with snow piled on their hoods or roofs, but is that actually legal, or could that get you pulled over in Pennsylvania?
According to Pennsylvania state law, drivers must make reasonable efforts to “remove accumulated ice or snow from the motor vehicle or motor carrier vehicle, including the hood, trunk and roof of the motor vehicle or motor carrier vehicle, within 24 hours after the cessation of the falling snow or ice.”
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PennDOT states that failure to obey this law can cause a $50 fine for each offense, regardless of whether any snow or ice is dislodged from the vehicle.
If snow or ice does fall from a moving vehicle and strikes another vehicle or pedestrian, causing death or serious bodily injury, fines can reach at least $200 and up to $1,500 for each offense.
State law also prohibits driving a motor vehicle with ice or snow on the windshield, rear window, or side windows that “obstructs, obscures, or impairs the driver’s clear view of the highway or any intersecting highway.”
The law was enacted in Pennsylvania as “Christine’s Law,” named after Christine Lambert, who was killed after a piece of ice dislodged from a passing box truck and crashed through her windshield on Christmas Day in 2005, according to the Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association.
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