Avalanche On Wheels!

Drew Scott

 Have you ever noticed after a good snowstorm like the one we got last week, there's always some crazy driver who refuses to brush the snow and ice off his vehicle before he gets on the Expressway or Parkways?

 Nassau Police Highway Patrol officer Chris Venezia says these types of motorists and truckers cause dozens of accidents each year. Officer Venezia told me he's seen giant sheets of ice, slush and snow slide off the roofs of cars and big rig trucks. The sheets of frozen stuff then flies off the vehicle and onto the car behind it, temporarily blinding them or worse, injuring them and damaging their car!

Police say they've asked for a law to be passed, but believe it or not, there is no state penalty currently for truckers who let ice build up on their 18-wheel rigs even if it falls on the cars behind them!

Suffolk Legislator Jon Cooper tells me it happened to him last year and he tried to pass a county law requiring motorists to clean their vehicles of snow and ice BEFORE driving, but it failed to pass. Nassau's Legislature hasn't attempted to pass a similar law and so far, the state has no regulations governing rooftop snow or ice.

One thing is for sure, Officer Venezia says if he sees a car or a truck with snow on the hood, he'll issue them a summons for "obstructed view", a ticket that carries 2 points and a $150 dollar fine!

Get out your snow brushes people!