Clean snow off your car...or pay a fine

Lawmakers in Dover want to fine anyone who, in the rush to leave home during winter, doesn't properly clean the snow off their car before hitting Delaware's highways.

Fines could reach $75 for leaving the driveway without scraping snow or ice off windshields, roofs and hoods. Penalties rise up to $1,000 if snow or ice falls from the car and causes injury or property damage.

Those driving commercial vehicles face even steeper fines. The legislation is a byproduct of the 2013-2014 winter that most everyone in Delaware would like to forget. More than 55 inches of snow fell between November and March, as measured at the New Castle Airport.

Sponsored by Sen. Greg Lavelle, a Sharpley Republican, the new legislation says Delaware drivers "shall have an affirmative duty to make all reasonable efforts to remove accumulated ice and snow from certain exposed surfaces of the vehicle prior to operation."

One Democratic lawmaker and two other Republicans have signed onto Lavelle's legislation as co-sponsors. Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and other states already impose fines for failure to remove snow and ice. Motorists would not be fined if snow and ice accumulates while they're driving during an active storm.

Read more: First State Politics Blog

Contact Jonathan Starkey at 983-6756, on Twitter @jwstarkey or at jstarkey@delawareonline.com.