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Now that we’ve weathered several snow storms in much of Maine, it’s a good time for a reminder that cleaning the snow and ice off your car before you share the road with others isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s also the law here in Maine.
This hasn’t always been the case. For years, many of us Mainers had been calling for state lawmakers to join other states such as New Hampshire that have long required motorists to clear off their cars before getting on the road in the winter. It wasn’t until 2023 that the Maine Legislature finally took this overdue step, making it a finable offense when someone fails to remove snow or ice and it causes damage or injury on a public road.
Driving in Maine during the winter is dangerous enough, without one person’s failure to clean off their car becoming someone else’s problem. Our guess is that anyone who has had a large chunk of snow or ice hurl toward them on the road would agree. Plus, cleaning snow and ice off your vehicle increases your ability to see around you, making you a safer driver. And while a golden rule of sorts would hopefully be enough — you won’t want someone else’s vehicle sending snow flying into your windshield, so don’t do the same to others — just about any trip out onto Maine roads after a winter storm would tell you that some people don’t respect that rule. So writing it into law has long made sense.
It’s only December, and a good chunk of Maine is only starting to see the first few winter storms. But many of us have likely already seen chunks of snow and ice flying off other people’s vehicles. Folks may not have known about the new law. Or like us, they may have even forgotten that this change went into effect last year. Hopefully, most people already did so before it was required.
Here’s what the law says, exactly:
“The operator of a vehicle with a registered weight under 10,000 pounds shall take reasonable measures to prevent snow or ice on the vehicle from falling off the vehicle while it is being operated on a public way,” the state statute reads. “A violation of this section that causes damage or injury is a traffic infraction subject to a fine of not more than $50 for a first offense and for which a fine of not less than $150 and not more than $250 may be adjudged for each subsequent offense.”
In a perfect world, this law would not have exempted large vehicles like tractor-trailers and school buses. The practical difficulties of cleaning them notwithstanding, the weight of snow and ice from these larger vehicles can be especially damaging for drivers around them. Though the final bill that became law in 2023 excluded these vehicles amid concerns from various industries, it remains better than no law at all.
Lt. Bruce Scott, the commanding officer of the State Police Traffic Safety Unit, testified before lawmakers in 2023 expressing support for a law to require snow and ice be removed from vehicles. He testified that between Nov. 15, 2022, and Feb. 23, 2023, Maine law enforcement recorded 93 crashes that occurred as a result of falling or thrown objects.
“I would estimate that approximately 30 of them are due to snow and or ice falling off from one vehicle and landing on another,” Scott told the Legislature at the time. “We also know that many of those crashes would have been avoided if this law was in effect and adhered to.”
That was a compelling reason for lawmakers to make this change a year ago, and it should be a compelling reason for Maine motorists to follow the law today. A few extra minutes to clean off your car can make a big difference in someone else’s life. It shouldn’t take a law or a financial penalty to get Mainers to think about each other and take steps to avoid crashes.
So be nice, and get rid of that snow and ice. And if being nice isn’t enough of an incentive, remember that you could be fined if you fail to clean the snow and ice off your vehicle before hitting the road.
