PITTSBURGH — A new law in Pennsylvania that requires drivers to remove snow and ice from their vehicles, including big rigs, has gone into effect.
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf signed the law, known as Christine’s Law, into law in July 2022. The law states that before traveling, all snow and ice must be removed from hoods, rooftops and trunks within 24 hours after a winter storm.
“A family in the Lehigh Valley were, on Christmas Day 2005, traveling to Carbon County when this icy missile, I call it, dislodged from a tractor-trailer, hit the windshield and immediately went through the entire windshield, hit Chrstine. Lambert in the head, and she died instantly,” Pennsylvania State Senator Lisa Boscola said. “The tractor-trailer never stopped, and I have a feeling that he or she never knew.”
The new law is named after Lambert.
Anyone found in violation of Christine’s Law can be fined $50; however, if ice or snow that’s caked on a car or truck flies off and injures someone, the fine could range from $200 to $1,500.
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I understand the meaning behind the law but it’s to dangerous to climb on to the top of a trailer and clean it off not to mention most of us don’t even have a way up there I’m sorry but I still think the law is wrong it’s not right to blame truckers for things out of their control you want to blame someone blame nature
I agree with William, driving in snow and traveling safe distances behind are what is needed. Drivers have enough to worry about without trying to find a way to clear snow off of a roof they have no access to. The solution is not an easy one but truck stops should have one of those roof cleaners available to all truckers, where they can drive under and scrape the snow off but that is not going to solve the ice. There will still be some there and when the sun melts and it freezes how do you remove that? Installing roof heaters?? Mother Nature puts it there not the driver and they are being held hostage by her and the lawmakers. Not fair to the driver or the company they work for.
Pretty sure that it is an OSHA violation to walk on the roof of a trailer without fall arresting equipment. While ground snow rakes do exist, you have no idea whether or not you get everything and they do nothing for ice. Also many trailers these days have thin fiberglass roofs that cannot bear any weight at all. So while it is a best practice to remove what you feasibly can, it won’t solve anything. And cars and suvs are just as guilty as large trucks. Remember, if you are close enough to a truck that you cannot clearly see BOTH side mirrors, you are way to close.
Just another law to get more money out of the trucker and the trucking company they work for. Bad enough fuel, insurance, licenses, maintenance, etc. are expensive, There comes a law to make it what you can’t realistically blame anyone for when mother nature causes the situation. Ways to eliminate this all have side issues and there is no one hardcore answer to the problem, except use caution and your head when driving in winter conditions