The proposed action by the District to require drivers to clear snow and ice from hoods, roofs and trunks of cars is a good one. Although an article in the Examiner says that the District would be first to have such a law, there actually are a number of laws around the country that address the issue and make drivers liable for damages or injuries caused by flying ice or snow missiles that come off their vehicles because they didn't clear them off. Pennsylvania has a law that states you could be fined if snow or ice flies off your vehicle and causes death or serious injury to a pedestrian or other driver. Before the car-haters jump up and spew that this column is "car-cencentric" let me say that this can be a big impact on pedestrians and those on bicycles as well. In fact, a sheet of ice sliding off a car making a turn can do a lot more damage to a person standing on a street corner than it will to an all-metal car or truck.
Here's another issue though: who is responsible for the big chunks of frozen stuff that fly off of roofs and balconies of buildings to the streets below? I was walking along M Street the other day when a gust of wind came up. Within the span of no more than two minutes a half dozen or more chunks of ice came crashing down around me. These were not small, insignificant chunks either. Most of the pieces of ice that fell were two-feet or so in diameter and hit the asphalt with a bang that hinted at their weight and potential lethality. Maybe it would be too hard to determine who is responsible if the projectiles come off a balcony or the middle of a rooftop.
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I guess that Rod Blagojevich will not be getting a Christmas card next year from Pat Quinn. Quinn is the former Lieutenant Governor of the state of Illinois who is now the Governor since Blago has been ousted. This item shows up in this column because Quinn spent no time at all in removing the highway signs in the state that carried the former Governor's name, or at least pealing Blagojevich's name off of them. Quinn called them a symbol of "pompous government." Quinn, who has never hid his distain for Blagojevich, said he might even let some toll payers on the various highways help to tear the signs down. I must admit that I never thought of a governor or mayor having their name on a sign as a sign of their pomposity. I can picture a "Welcome to Maryland" sign on the inner loop of the beltway just off the American Legion Bridge that includes the name of that state's governor. In fact that sign was changed from reading "Robert Ehrlich" to "Martin O'Malley" the morning of the transition. I just always figured it was part of the perks of the job and one of those things that makes it easier for incumbents to keep their name in front of the public. Then again, former Governor Blagojevich seemed to rub a lot of people in a way that Ehrlich, Williams, Warner, Barry (no comment), Kaine, Fenty and O'Malley rarely did.
Steve Eldridge is a long-time reporter, observer and commentator on the Washington region's transportation issues. You can contact him directly by writing to: Steve@SprawlandCrawl.com. Unless otherwise requested, letters or portions of letters can be used within future columns. Letter writers will be identified by their first name and city/neighborhood.
I'm fairly certain, Steve, that the proposed DC law would allow police to stop drivers before, not after, the ice and snow causes a crash.
No state has a law like that, although you are correct that some states have after-the-fact laws that make motorists who cause injury or property damage liable. Indeed New Jersey has one.
New Jersey is also deliberating a pre-emptive ice and snow bill, like the one that could be introduced in DC. It's through an Assembly committee, in fact, unanimously.
Dave W.
AAA
Posted by: David Weinstein | February 02, 2009 at 04:14 PM