Snow on car roof

[puternut]

Just had a discussion elsewhere where someone said that it will now be illegal to drive a vehicle with 'excessive' snow on the roof!!!

Can any ABers confirm this - or am I being taken for a ride??

[sahida]

yes i too had a tex 2day, was also on bbc radio 3, £60 fine + 3 points !!!!
but why are we not told on the T.V????

[NazNomad]

I suppose it can be classed as a CU50 ...Causing or likely to cause danger by reason of load or passengers?

[welshlibranr]

Really silly!............if you've had lots of snow, then you're going to have snow on your car roof!........just another way of taking money from you!..........What a rip off!....if we re told then we would remove the snow!................money making excercise!......

[Buenchico]

With a few exceptions (such as the specific law against using a mobile phone while driving) there are hardly any 'precise' motoring laws. Instead there are 'general' laws, where it's left up to the police (and the Crown Prosecution Service) to decide whether you've broken them.

For example, there is no law which specifically states that you can't drive your car down the right-hand-side of the road in a normal two-way street. If a policeman sees you doing it he has to decide whether your actions amount to 'driving without due care and attention', 'careless driving' or 'dangerous driving'. However if you were driving a milk float along the right-hand-side of a well-lit and deserted road at 5am you'd almost certainly not be committing any of those offences. (i.e. it's neither legal nor illegal to drive on the 'wrong' side of the road; it depends upon the circumstances).

If you drive with a lot of snow on the roof of your car it can result in a following driver finding himself in a 'snow storm' from the snow blowing off your roof. "Driving a vehicle on a public road without consideration for other road users" is an offence under Section 3 of the Road Traffic Act 1988:
http://www.cps.gov.uk...s_of_bad_driving/#a16
So (since that Act came into force) it has always been possible for a policeman to interpret driving with excessive snow on the roof as an offence. It may be that the police are now starting to clamp down on this but it's not a new law.

Chris

[welshlibranr]

Ok Chris, that's all fine and well, but with the country in the grip of this awful weather, and roads being gridlocked and closed too, don't they have anything better to do than book drivers with snow on the roof!.............It just beggars belief!.....Sorry!...forgot! This is Britain!.........There we are then!.............

[mabel1]

I saw a man driving his car today with excessive snow on the roof. As he pulled out into the traffic, the snow slid forward and covered his windscreen completely.

[welshlibranr]

conditions are extreme in some parts though Mabel, maybe folk shiould be cut a little slack under the circumstances!.................

[Answerprancer]

It makes sense to me.
Imagine if you were behind someone on the motorway doing 70, and a massive wad of snow came loose from someone's roof and landed on your windscreen and your wipers couldn't deal with it in time for you to brake/pull over.

[mabel1]

It doesn't take 2 minutes to push the snow off the roof of the car. The snow slipping down and covering the windscreen could cause a serious accident.

[woofgang]

so under what circs welsh lib would you NOT brush the snow off the car before driving?

[Answerprancer]

..furthermore, in my experience the very bottom part of a thick snow-wad on the roof melts first, making the whole thing mobile so it could easily come loose in one great big sheet. Potentially lethal if (as Mabel said) it slid down onto your windscreen unexpectedly.

[TheOtherHalf]

Yes, I heard this on the news by an AA man recently. It is illegal and you can get points of your licence. Just after we heard this, we saw it happenn our town, the snow of a car roof was about 4 " and it fell onto the windscreen and the driver swerved. Luckily didnt hit anything, but could have.
Ive posted it on my FB to all drivers. So be warned !!

[gina32]

and it amazes me the amount f people you see who are driving with a small porthole in h widceen an the rest rosted up.

[Dris]

Im surprised that anyone wouldnt have the common sense to remove the snow from their roof before driving.
The hazards shouldn't need to be spelt out surely?

[jd_1984]

It does seem like a very obvious hazzard.
And totally avoidable, that is probably why a fine is applicable

[Dris]

You would get pulled over for that as well gina and quite rightly so.

[4getmenot]

whether illegal or not just clear it off roof. Simples

[gina32]

yes i agree, its drives me nuts not to be able to see completely out of my window so couldnt drive like that

[concord]

They is no specific offence re snow on the roof of a car. Consider this " you are driving in a line of traffic at say 20mph in a snow storm resulting in car being covered in snow" all drivers would have to be reported and your defence could be that I still had clear vision and stopping could have either been restricted or dangerous, also they could be an issue due to the police budget cuts re eyesite tests resulting in being unsure if a car is white or has snow on the roof