Pol wants law to keep cars cleaned of snow

The lawmaker behind Suffolk's bans on the diet drug ephedra and using handheld cell phones while driving would like to forbid driving in the county with snow or ice atop a vehicle.

Legis. Jon Cooper (D-Lloyd Harbor) last week reinstated a failed 2007 bill to create a $75 fine for "failure to remove snow or ice accumulation from a motor vehicle before operation."

If snow or ice from one vehicle hits and damages another vehicle, the driver of the snowy vehicle could face a fine of up to $1,000. Commercial drivers would face fines of up to $1,500.

"This is not about levying fines and issuing tickets," Cooper said. "My hope really is that once this is the law and the public is educated about this, that those drivers who are irresponsible or lazy, this will now be put on their radar screen."

Cooper, who parks in a garage at his home, said he removes snow and ice from his BMW when it snows while he's at work or at the legislature. He called the anger upon being struck by snow or ice flying from another car "ice rage."

"A lot of folks that don't clear the snow and ice don't realize the potential public safety hazard it causes," he said.

After a March 2007 snowstorm, Cooper introduced similar legislation that would have banned driving with 2 or more inches of snow on a car. The new version of the bill does not specify how much snow or ice would have a driver in violation of the law.

SEE PHOTOSSnowstorms that buried LI over the past 100-plus years

Whether Cooper's bill will gain any more traction than his 2007 effort is unclear. Presiding Officer William Lindsay (D-Holbrook) said the idea may not be enforceable.

"I know it can be dangerous, but I don't know how we enforce it," Lindsay said. "We have a lot of good ideas, but enforcement is always a problem."

Five states and Washington, D.C., have passed laws banning ice atop moving vehicles. Cooper's proposal would make Suffolk the first New York State jurisdiction to adopt such legislation.

The bill will go before a public hearing and then the legislature's Public Safety Committee next month. County Executive Steve Levy is evaluating the proposal, spokesman Dan Aug said.