It's Illegal To Drive Your Car Covered In Snow And Ice In NYS

Like it or not, snow is on the way, and there are a few laws in place that can be annoying to follow, but it's best for everyone.

Running late? No time to warm up your car or clear off the snow and ice? Well, you should make the time, not only for your safety and those around you but also for your pocketbook. If you get caught driving a vehicle covered in snow and ice you could get hit get a big fine.

On January 9, 2013, the NYS Senate amended a 2008 vehicle and traffic law requiring certain motor vehicles to be cleared of accumulated snow, sleet, or hail or get a ticket with a hefty fine.

The people of NYS allowed a Senate amendment for a law to promote safe driving in the winter months. Have you ever been behind a car covered in snow and ice and flies off, hitting your vehicle? Pretty scary.

The law says you must clear all the snow and ice off your entire vehicle before driving it. Yes, even that hard to reach spot on the roof and inside the bed of your pickup. Here's the legal mumbo-jumbo.

The vehicle and traffic law is amended by adding a new section 1229-e to read as follows:
S 1229-E. CLEARANCE OF SNOW, SLEET, AND HAIL.
1. NO PERSON SHALL OPERATE A MOTOR VEHICLE ON A PUBLIC STREET OR HIGHWAY WHILE THERE IS AN ACCUMULATION OF SNOW, SLEET, OR HAIL ON THE ROOF OR CARGO BED SURFACES THEREOF, WHETHER OF ANY OCCUPANT COMPARTMENT, TRAILER, OR OTHER CARGO COMPARTMENT IN EXCESS OF THREE INCHES.
2. THE REMOVAL OF ACCUMULATED SNOW, SLEET, OR HAIL REQUIRED BY SUBDIVISION ONE OF THIS SECTION SHALL NOT APPLY DURING THE FALLING OF SNOW, SLEET, OR HAIL OR WITHIN THREE HOURS AFTER THE CESSATION OF THE FALLINGTHEREOF.
3. (A) THE OPERATOR OF A NON-COMMERCIAL VEHICLE IN VIOLATION OF THE
PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION, EXCLUDING A DISABLED OPERATOR, SHALL BE
SUBJECT TO A FINE OF NOT LESS THAN ONE HUNDRED FIFTY DOLLARS NOR MORE THAN EIGHT HUNDRED FIFTY DOLLARS.

The vehicle and traffic law could expire on September 1, 2024. Those ticketed with snow and ice on their car could receive a fine ranging from $150.00 - $850.00. The money will then go to the "snow and ice removal fund" the DOT and the New York State Thruway Authority,

Here is how the funds from this ticket are distributed:

...established fines for violation of these provisions; establishes a fund for the state's portion of such fines, the "snow and ice removal fund" with 10% of the funds going to an annual DMV report on the fund, 25% going to each the DOT and the Thruway Authority for establishing snow and ice removal sites on their roads, 30% for a DOT grant program and 10% for a public awareness campaign.