Law requiring the removal of ice and snow from car to be voted on by Pennsylvania Senate and House.

On Monday, September 24, 2019, the state Senate Appropriations Committee unanimously approved State Sen. Lisa Boscola ’s bill know as Christine’s Law. The bill is named after Christine Lambert, a motorist killed in 2005 when a 10-inch chunk of ice dislodged from a trash truck and struck the vehicle she was driving causing her death. Boscola has been trying for years to get the bill passed. The bill now goes to the Senate for a final vote, and would then go to the House of Representatives.

Under current Pennsylvania law, police can not pull a driver over for driving a vehicle caked with ice and snow. Drivers can only be cited after snow and ice dislodge from a moving vehicle and strikes a person or vehicle, causing death or injury.

The new law would be proactive and allow police to pull over vehicles that are dangerously caked with snow and ice. Violators could face a fine of $75.00.
Drivers would have 24 hours after a snowstorm ends to clear their vehicles of accumulated ice and snow. After that, the police could pull over drivers and cited if they failed to clear their vehicles of accumulated ice and snow.

According to Boscola, the trucking industry fought passage of the bill, but has worked with her and fellow lawmakers recently to reshape it.

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