Michiganders—Avoid a Ticket and Clean the Snow Off Your Car
Lace up your boots and be sure to put on your mittens because it's that time of year again in Michigan.
The time of year where you have to factor in extra time for your commute so you can scrape your windshield and clean the snow off your car. And you'd better make sure you clean it all off because you might get ticketed if you don't.
Make Sure You've Got Your Windshield Scraper Handy
When clearing the snow/ice/slush off your car, be sure to get all of it, not just a patch on the windshield that's juuuuuust big enough for you to see out of. Clean the snow off the roof, hood, lights, and even the sides of your car. Here's why:
- Law #MCL 257.709 - You can't operate a vehicle when your vision is impaired. This means you gotta clean off the whole windshield and the other windows, too!
- Law #MCL 257.699 - Head and tail lights have to emit a certain amount of light to be legal, so don't forget to clear off those lights!
- Law #MCL 257.677a(2)-(4) - It's illegal for snow, ice, or slush to fly off your car and impair another driver's vision. This one's a biggie.
Clean the Snow Off of Your Car or Get a Ticket
We've all seen that person driving around with several inches of snow on the roof of their car. As soon as they hit a certain speed, all that snow flies off into the windshield of the person behind them and obstructs their vision, and that's at the very least! That snow of ice could be so heavy that when it smacks into the windshield of the car behind you, it could crack their windshield Don't be that person with snow on their roof.
I know, winters in Michigan stink, and NO ONE wants to stand in the bitter cold while cleaning inches of snow off their car. But, to avoid a potential ticket and to be safe on the road, you should always clear the snow off your car!
To really make sure your vehicle is prepared for the harshness that a Michigan winter can deal with, here are some ways to get your vehicle winter-ready.
12 Tips to Prepare Your Vehicle for a Michigan Winter
SEE MORE: How to Prevent Snow Melt Flooding
UP NEXT: 10 Signs That Michigan Will Have an Awful Winter