Your editorial in the Feb. 27 Telegram should be condemned for its lack of consideration for those who have experienced firsthand what the new law to require drivers to remove snow from their vehicles would hope to eliminate. (“Law on vehicle snow an unnecessary burden”).

The responsibility of removing all snow and ice from our vehicles, be it the windshield or the roof, belongs to all us who reside in a definitive four-season state. To suggest we learn through a “safe driving education campaign” is both ridiculous and unhelpful. After all, we can see what passing a law has done for wearing seat belts in the state of Maine.

Most of us learn the finer points of operating a motor vehicle through drivers ed. Two rules that I learned and still very much try to abide by are these: Allow one car length for every 10 mph you are traveling, and when stopped behind another vehicle at least be able to see the bottom of their rear tires. These are rules that very few follow.

If an SUV with a foot of ice and snow on the roof is traveling 70 mph on the interstate, which is where most of these incidents occur, and it begins to blow off, then it can actually catapult in any direction and for many feet. I don’t think following too closely has as much to do with this as you might think.

Just as with many everyday chores, we all must take some responsibilities for our actions. This bill is long overdue to be passed in this state and hopefully will get as much attention as it deserves, if not more than what confectionery by-product we acclaim is our state dessert.

 

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