Saying, “Too many truckers let highway winds do their snow removal for them,” a Pennsylvania legislator is trying once again to pass a law that would require drivers to remove snow and ice from their trucks before driving.
State Sen. Lisa Boscola (D-Northampton/Lehigh) today reintroduced legislation that would require truckers make “all reasonable efforts” to remove accumulated snow or ice from their vehicles or face fines of from $25 to $75 if stopped by police.
“Ice dislodged from rapidly moving trucks is very dangerous – and sometimes deadly,” Boscola. “While public awareness outreach is the key to this process, we must underscore the seriousness of this issue with the force of law.”
Boscola said current law with fines ranges from $200 to $1,000 for each offense only applies if ice debris causes serious injury or death. She said her proposal would prevent such accidents.
The Lehigh Valley lawmaker commended some businesses for installing ice removal systems for their trucks. She said she hopes other businesses will use the savings from the ten-year low in fuel prices to install similar scraping systems.
Boscola said her legislation was prompted by the 2005 death of Christine Lambert, who was killed by an 8-inch chunk of flying ice while driving to visit her family. Boscola has re-introduced the legislation in every legislative session since.
She said she is more optimistic about the bill’s prospects for passage.
