heard this on BBC Scotland radio this am – 3 points on the spot penalties if noted driving with a load of snow on car roof that has not obviously been cleared. anyone know details ?

anyone know details ?

Driving with an unsecured load

lol – I guess it’s probably linked into some kind of ‘dangerous condition’ law ?

Likely reason is you hit the brakes and snow tumbles down onto the screen, then you are left with 0 visibility and wipers that are useless. I’m not 100% sure it’s points worthy but I’m sure someone will confirm shortly.

I agree with that – very dangerous and inconsiderate.

aye, I think it is very reasonable, just wondering whether it is actual policy and happening

Great, about time! Probably comes under driving whilst being a stupid and inconsiderate arse. Where do you think all that snow will end up? 🙄

Perfectly safe.

No way you’ll be able to slow sharply enough to dislodge teh snow with the ice on the roads 😀

On the A80 last year I saw a van with a roof covered in frozen snow/ice that lifted off in one huge solid slab at about 60 miles an hour. Hate to think what would have happened if there had been a motorcyclist behind the van.

What about lorries with 1″ thick ice on the tautliner roofs. Saw some seriously thick chunks of ice fly off the top of one this morning; luckily no-one was following and it smashed on to the road.

snap!

Where do you think all that snow will end up?

It just goes flying off the back doesn’t it? If I can keep it on top ’til I get to boot it on the dual carriageway.

About time. I hate getting faceful of ice when a car overtakes.

Saw some amusing shedding moments on the motorways last weekend too – the car behind basically gets pebbledashed.

It is particularly nice when some dick with a load of snow on the roof of their car hurtles past and deposits most of it on you whilst you’re trying to avoid cycling over the icy sections of road.

I heard the same thing this morning –

Yesterday, on the slip road off A92 at bottom of our street – driver stops at roundabout and the snow slid over his windscreen. Driver got out, hazards on, to clear windscreen, traffic queued up behind him on an uphill slope.

He gets back in and takes off, lorry three cars back now cant get going up the slope and traffic is backing up onto the dual carriageway.

Definitely points worthy in my opinion.

There is something in the Highway Code that says you have to clear your vehicle, can’t remember where, but I do remember discussing it last year on another forum.

Okaaaaay…. Like it’s actually going to make a blind bit of difference….? 😯

Rule 229 in the Highway Code apparently.

They can start with the people who haven’t even bothered to clear the windows, never mind the roof. The number of cars I’ve see with snow all over the back window or the side windows is incredible, it’s almost as though the driver has thought “I know, I’ll deliberately lose 50% of my visibility”

I’m having a bad day with the sheer number of complete utter [insert expletive of choice] on the roads at the moment. 🙄

the chances of being caught are slim as the police are tucked up in the station drinking tea when it is bad weather

On the local Borders news yesterday (for local people – are you local ?) they showed a cop stopping a motorist and warning them, then taking 10 seconds out of their busy day to help them move the snow off the roof of their car. I think this was in Selkirk.

Somebody who posts on this forum may come on to confess to an incident involving a sun roof, traffic lights in Gala and a lapful of snow. Or they might not…

Tis indeed:

Rule 229

Before you set off

* you MUST be able to see, so clear all snow and ice from all your windows
* you MUST ensure that lights are clean and number plates are clearly visible and legible
* make sure the mirrors are clear and the windows are demisted thoroughly
* remove all snow that might fall off into the path of other road users
* check your planned route is clear of delays and that no further snowfalls or severe weather are predicted

Annoying I guess, and potentially dangerous. Not as stupid as driving too close to the car in front, which you will see every minute of every day nevermind in crappy conditions. I honestly cannot understand why so many millions of drivers can’t see how idiotic it is.

Stu – I reckon that 3rd point is the one they are invoking. cheers

wonder if they are actully dishing out points, or just using radio announcements to raise awareness of the possibility ?

even if it just scares a few more people into clearing their cars properly then i like it 🙂

iainc – Member

Stu – I reckon that 3rd point is the one they are invoking. cheers

not the fourth one then that actually mentions clearing snow? 😉

Got the racks on the roof so any snow that settles there is secured (enough for me to faff clearing it).

It makes a huge difference round here. I always clear all the snow off the car including the roof, as when you get to a certain speed it starts flying off backwards in big chunks. Happens a lot on the motorway as you pick up speed, I’ve had a windscreen full of snow many times before on the way to Leeds. And how dangerous is it when it slips down onto your own screen when you brake?? Can’t see the point of clearing your car and not doing the roof, very inconsiderate at the very least.
Tip – use one of those water blade things which you normally use for drying your car after washing. I have an AutoGlym one which is ace as it clears the car in seconds. Every time I used it someone will notice and say they’re getting one too.
Clearing your lights too – very important.

Just to be picky…the ‘rules’ in the Highway Code are not laws are they? I.e.

Check your planned route is clear blah blah simply is not enforceable.

The Highway Code is an, errrm, code for which there are some corresponding laws enforcing some of the points…

boblo – very true. I thought some of our Law Enforcement Officers might be along to clarify, maybe they are stuck in the snow 😆

Many of the rules in the Code are legal requirements, and if you disobey these rules you are committing a criminal offence. You may be fined, given penalty points on your licence or be disqualified from driving. In the most serious cases you may be sent to prison. Such rules are identified by the use of the words ‘MUST/MUST NOT’. In addition, the rule includes an abbreviated reference to the legislation which creates the offence. An explanation of the abbreviations can be found in ‘The road user and the law’.

Although failure to comply with the other rules of the Code will not, in itself, cause a person to be prosecuted, The Highway Code may be used in evidence in any court proceedings under the Traffic Acts (see ‘The road user and the law’) to establish liability. This includes rules which use advisory wording such as ‘should/should not’ or ‘do/do not’.

I was overtaken by a van while biking in this morning (Nottingham, snowy but not that bad, wasn’t snowing at the time), and the snow was blowing off the roof giving me a personalized quite severe blizzard for 10 seconds, while going through a set of traffic lights. That was fun.

Quite tall van though, not really sure how you’d clear the top of it.

I suppose the HC is guidance on how to comply with the law.
In my work we have to make sure people don’t break the law but we don’t give them a copy of the legislation and say get on with it. We issue official guidance and advice first. It helps you understand what you have to do. The guidance isn’t legally binding but if you flouted it then as it derives from the laws in the first place you can trace what they have or haven’t done back to the relevant law.
So I suppose the HC issues guidance in the same way. It can all be linked back to a relevant law (possibly?)

What ChrisHeath said.

I think Section 40A(a) RTA 1988 would apply for the snow on roof cars – driving a vehicle in a dangerous condition.

Rule 229

Before you set off

* you MUST be able to see, so clear all snow and ice from all your windows
* you MUST ensure that lights are clean and number plates are clearly visible and legible
* make sure the mirrors are clear and the windows are demisted thoroughly
* remove all snow that might fall off into the path of other road users
* check your planned route is clear of delays and that no further snowfalls or severe weather are predicted

@ChrisHeath. Where’s the MUST/MUST NOT relating to removing all snow? I thank you for making my point more clearly than I…. 🙂

BTW, my point was that the Highway Code is not a set of laws, some of it is advisory. Just because it may be cited as evidence of ‘good’ practice dunt make it the law now does it? (cripes I feel like I’m taking on Fred’s persona…)

And idiots that defrost a 6″ square of screen, then set-off hoping the rest will clear as they drive. They should be hung.

I’m with crazy legs.

There I was this morning, clearing ALL the snow off and all the windows on my wife’s car before she goes to work, standing on the dangerous off side of the car, when Mrs Trollop drives past peering through a patch while texting.

Penal colony required, too many thick people out there.

@ChrisHeath. Where’s the MUST/MUST NOT relating to removing all snow? I thank you for making my point more clearly than I….

I wasn’t making a point. I was answering a question, by cutting and pasting directly from the highway code. 😀

The snow on my roof is very secure, and you shouldn’t be stopping harshly in snow anyway/cant stop harshly in snow, and if you do stop harshly you’ll be stopped and be able to clear your windows. In many moons of driving in snow I’ve never yet had snow fall into my view.

Idiotic police taking it too far.

@chris.. ah fair enough 🙂

It was mentioned above about wagons having snow on their tops. Is thsi being enforced as well or are they short of really tall Bobbies to take a look?

Before I get a virtual kicking, I’m not suggesting peeps shouldn’t clear their cars, just that the risk from HGV’s is probably greater (more snow on top) and they should be cleared as well.