Motorists could face fines for leaving snow on the roof of cars

With the winter in full swing, people are bound to get fed up of the warnings they are faced with on a daily basis of the basic chores that must be carried out in order to ensure the safety of your car. Snow and ice, unfortunately are likely with the plummeting temperatures of our Great Britain and motorists are now being warned that they must not forget about the roof of their vehicle when clearing snow from it on their way to work.

It has actually been said that drivers may be forced to pay a fine of up to £60 if found with an overload of snow on the roof of their car and even three points on your driving licence, it could be even worse if snow that has fell from your vehicle has then been shown to have caused an accident. This information was revealed by motoring accessory retailer Halfords after a survey showed that 20% of motorists, equalling around 6 million drivers admit to not removing snow from their cars before they begin driving. Most drivers said that they clear the front and back windows, though not the rest of the car. It is infact snow on the roof of cars that appears to be forgotten about and can actually cause the biggest dangers on the roads. It can fall backwards onto the roads or cars behind and even more seriously onto the car windscreen whilst braking.

As the inside of the car begins to warm up, the snow on the roof of the car begins to melt and come loose, also if it has been on top of the car for a matter of days, it will usualy move as a whole solid mass and can cause catastrophe. Of course, if this releases as someone brakes, it could completely obscure the windscreen. It it comes apart whilst the car is moving, cars behind are at serious risk of damage from the heavy moving mass. Estimates from Halfords indicate that a 4 inch build up of snow on the roof can weigh 35kg.

Police actually have the power to be able to fine drivers under rule 229 of the Highway Code, which says that all lights, windows, number plates and mirrors must be clear and that the snow that could possible fall into the path of other drivers must be cleared.

Halfords say that the research shown should be the incentive drivers need to remove all of the snow from their car and not just the windows before they set off on their journey. It is extremely simple to be able to use a snow brush to clear the roof of a car. There are also apparent fuel savings too as 35 kg on the roof of a car could actually reduce fuel efficiency, which due to the cold weather is already down, by a further 2%.