Winter Brings on 'Peephole' Driving

As winter approaches, there is a safety hazard to be on the lookout for other than the typical sleet, ice and snow: peephole driving.

This term applies to people who scrape just enough ice from the windshield to see the road when driving. Many who live through long, cold winters might have done it.

A dangerous practice, police officers throughout the snow belt are already planning to target peephole drivers this winter using existing "obstructed" driving rules.

New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine signed a law that requires drivers to “make all reasonable efforts” to scrape off ice and snow from the windshield, trunk, hood and roof of a vehicle. Drivers who fail to do so can face fines of $25-$75. That added rule will help officers in New Jersey make a case against peephole driving, as well.

Police and EMTs worry about chunks of ice or snow that fly off of vehicles while in motion. A chunk of ice torn off a moving car can be as heavy as a brick and becomes a dangerous projectile.

Will peephole driving laws catch on? Do you worry about people who try to drive with snow and ice still coating their windshields? Let us know in the comments.

Police Watching for ‘Peephole’ Drivers as Winter Nears (USA Today)

Comments

I always wanted to slash tires of 'Peephole' drivers

^Dude, that's SO MEAN! Just slash their valve stems so they are stranded but it will only cost them $10 for two valve stems instead of $200 for a pair of tires. (=

When I was in high school I had a Toyota Camry with a busted heating system. There was literally no way for me to properly de-ice my windshield. Not even peephole driving would cut it, so I found myself driving Ace Ventura style for that first week of early Autumn morning frosts.

If they skimped on scraping the front off, they probably won't be able to see the cops in their equally scantily scraped rear view window.

If you can't properly scrape off ice, or if you're too lazy and end up driving like in the pic, you deserve to get your license revoked and your car impounded. No ifs, ands, or buts. If you can't clear it, DON'T DRIVE.

Sounds like one of those hard to enforce laws....but lets hope the law alone makes drivers think twice before driving under these conditions.

just as bad are people that don't clear the snow covering headlights or taillights, hard to see where you are going, or see the brake lights in front of you when they are covered.

"...but lets hope the law alone makes drivers think twice..."

Ha-ha.
Here in PA they put plenty of those electronic signs on highways.
So, it is rainy day and signs say, "Wipers on - lights on. It's the LAW".
Still, plenty of them without lights pass that sign like nothing happened.