New Law Enacted to Protect Drivers During Winter Weather

Operators must remove accumulated snow or ice from commercial vehicles before taking to the road, according to a new law passed by the Suffolk County Legislature last month.

Failure to comply to the new law will result in a $150 fine. If personal injury or property damage results from the failure to properly clear vehicles, fines between $500 and $1,500 amy apply. The legislation prevents commercial vehicle owners from passing fines to workers.

“You can’t legislate the weather, but you can require people to take the proper precautions when bad weather hits,” according to a press release by Legislative Majority Leader Jon Cooper, D-Lloyd Harbor, the sponsor of the bill.

The first of its kind in New York state, similar laws have been passed in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut and the District of Columbia. 

The law exempts drivers already on the road during a storm when ice accumulation occurs on vehicles and does not apply to parked vehicles, school buses, public transit buses and paratransit vehicles.

Last year, an Illinois man suffered severe facial trauma when a large block of ice flew off the top of a semitrailer, torpedoing into his windshield, sending shards of shattering glass exploding into his face.