Submitted by Nalek t3_11athd0 in WorcesterMA
Going down 290 today I saw at least 10 cars have slabs of ice ripped off their roof, fly 20 ft into the air, and then smash into the pavement, some right in front of other drivers. This is so extremely dangerous to other vehicles on the road, if you can't properly clear off your car don't take the highway. I'm seriously surprised the state troopers don't sit out there on days like this, easy tickets.
not everyone is going to clean off their cars. sometimes you have a tall van with ladder racks. impossible to get it all off. This is the reason I dont take highways on days like this.
Not being able to get every nook and cranny between ladder rungs is different than sedans that have their entire roof coated in ice and snow.
Try to get as much off as possible, because they can still ticket you for having an unsecured load if there’s enough snow/ice on it. If flying debris from your vehicle causes an accident you could still face civil and possibly criminal charges.
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I was honestly blown away when I found out MA doesn’t have a specific statewide law against this. Other than the Mass Pike, the most they can get you for is a minor violation for an unsecured load, and that’s if they even feel like enforcing it. Really? Even New Hampshire has Jessica’s Law because someone literally died from an accident. Do we have to wait until someone here dies to make a law named after them? Sheesh, you’d think with all the questionable bans this state is so gung-ho about pursuing, something this basic would be one of them?
https://www.wmur.com/amp/article/jessicas-law-new-hampshire-snow-ice-111522/41967110
On 495 south a guy with snow/ice left on his car hit my window shield it’s a 4 ft slab of ice - almost broke the window with the force/speed
Or…use said ladders to clean off the top of your van? Hmm.
Had a hunk fly off and smash my windshield on 95 near Kennebunk a few years ago. Almost push it right in. Some how didn’t crash and was able to navigate off to the rest stop. People think it’s nothing but you can legit kill someone.
State cops just sit on the side of the road and choke their chicken lol
It's almost like it's silly that our commute demands relying on everyone upkeeping and competently operating their personal vehicle while half caffeinated in their morning rush.
I mean that's a whole other conversation entirely and I agree with you. Waiting for the time that I get to move back to somewhere with good public transit and I can just sell off my car.
boston literally has roaming dirtbike gangs menacing people... I think it's just gonna happen.
Remember on Rocko’s Modern Life, when they renamed Chokey Chicken to Chewy Chicken?
Are you suggesting new laws? We very well can't have new laws without catchy and sentimental names - come on, man!
You seen the list of laws we currently have? They're numbered and lettered - and we've used up all the numbers and letters. We're currently in the "child names" section of law names, and there are only so many catchy and sentimental names so we need to be a little stingy when it comes to new laws and regulations.
We could have an emergency Senate hearing or something that would enact the little used "fuzzy animal" clause of State Statute Eleanor 43b, from 1946, that would let us name laws after fuzzy animals instead of dead children. But that's only temporary in nature and it would expire in 12 months without overriding Senate Guideline Eleanor Gertrude Humphries. Of course, that would trigger the little used William J Eastman statue (penned in honor of little "Billy East" back in '71) so a second vote would have to be taken within 12 months. This is known both in the Senate and the House as the "Irish Twins" law. It's pretty controversial and is usually seen as a last ditch effort to preserve "God's Will" (although that can't be directly stated by politicians). Usually these types of laws do more harm than good, but it's not the law's fault - it's usually just that the enforcement agencies aren't equipped to deal with changes these significant in such a rapid-fire manner.
Anyway, what was I saying? I don't know how I got on a tangent about our official legal system.
Witnessed the same on 290 today and it was terrifying.
Couple of years ago I bought a large push broom that is used for the sole purpose of cleaning off the tops of our vehicles. Works just as well on the Dodge SUV as it does on the Subaru. People are lazy af
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it should be a felony.
I wonder if we saw the same one! I saw a black truck going about 70 to 80 mph and a giant piece of ice flew off his car go into the air and land on the side of the road.
Traffic was stopped on Chandler the other day for 3 old people crossing the road where Irving connects. Some douche on a green dirt bike split the lanes and almost hit the group. There was a cop in an Explorer turning left onto Chandler from Irving who had to have seen it but did nothing.
Yeah we had them in Worcester too, although I haven’t seen as many in the last few years.
Oh well. Maybe New Hampshire will bag a few people while they’re driving up there to buy their menthols and fireworks to smuggle back into MA.
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> Jessica’s Law because someone literally died from an accident
That's the way it works. We just deal with unsafe shit we know will kill people until it effects some one in the area personally and they make a law about it.
My wife actually just saw someone get their windshield smashed on route 20 smh.
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huge chunk flew in the air in front of me and landed right on the corner of my windshield on chandler , if it didn’t catch the corner i believe it would’ve smashed right threw my windshield. unfkn real
Tell the cops to enforce the law! Nobody gives a shit about anyone but themselves around here so the cops gotta do it. It’s so self centered and disgusting.
Car on 146 this morning got a smashed windshield because somebody was too lazy to clean their shit off.
Car too tall? SUV so big you can’t reach the roof? Tough shit. Stay home.
Rules against chasing them in Worcester. Everybody blames the cops for “chasing” which winds up in a wreck. Not the loser on the stolen bike, breaking laws, uninsured and causing accidents. That’s why they’re so bad in the summer and ripping up the parks.
Truth. Drove from Maine back home to MA .and there were so many. Tractor trailers too. I was driving to avoid any debris.
$200 ticket sure doesn’t feel like a minor violation but that’s just me.
I get that, but I feel like they could at least sound the sirens. I don't want to get flagged for being a violent person, but sometimes I think vigilante justice should be okay.
I guess it’s too cold out there for state troopers to work on their quota.
Yeah. But also never stop fighting/advocating for good public transit everywhere. IMHO at least 🤷
I moved to NH and lived there for almost 10 years so it's ingrained in me now to just clear it all off!
There's not a good solution for clearing the roof of a trailer. It's 13 and 1/2 feet off the ground and 8 and 1/2 feet wide and fiberglass on top so if you climbed up there you couldn't stand on it. I'm not saying there shouldn't be a way because I've seen all the snow cleared off a trailer when it went under an overpass and it's dramatic and could easily cause a multi-car crash. Just saying someone smarter than me would have to engineer a means to do it.
edit: ...smarter than me, not we. I'm sure together we're wicked smart.
Whoever is downvoting you has no sense of humor
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I was on 290 earlier today and a huge piece of ice from the roof of someone’s car flew through the air and smashed my antenna. It was terrifying.
Same happened to me earlier. It was so scary. I’m glad you are ok.
Hit my windshield on 290 this morning, scared the shit out of me, state trooper saw the whole thing too and didn’t do a thing
There absolutely IS a good solution for this.
It's been engineered, it's in use today. Selfishness and not giving a single fuck about anyone else on the road is the only reason this still happens.
I’ve nearly avoided several tractor trailer flying plywood sized sheets of ice, the swerve fest those cause in traffic… if I can get a damn 6’ ladder to clean my milk truck style van roof off at 6 am everyone should be.
Just wanted to say I didn’t realize this stuff was so dangerous, I haven’t been driving the past two days so I didn’t see it but genuinely had no idea it could break a windshield 😬
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Yes! It’s seriously shocking how little people care. In addition, get off your fucking phones. I swear to god everyone in this city has a death wish.
We don’t need a new law jus for people to have more respect for others and not be such lazy scumbags
What do you suggest for those lazy people that drive tiny cars? They can’t seem to reach their roof either? /s🤷🏼♀️
This made me laugh so hard 😆🤣
I’ve seen cops with snow/ice on their vehicle as well. Smh.
I counted 12 icy roof blow offs on my 290-495-pike commute yesterday. One hit my hood and windshield. No damage but Holy shit terrifying.
I'll be damned that's pretty cool. Small fleets will never see them because the owner's don't want to spend the money, not considering the liability it would save them.
[deleted] t1_j9twhk5 wrote
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