I should have gotten out of bed just a little earlier one day last week. Because I was running a little late, I did a lackluster job cleaning the snow off of my vehicle. I guess I was hoping that the snow would just blow off the roof on the way to work.

I was wrong.

When a car had stopped short in front of me, I, of course, had to slam on my brakes resulting in all of the snow on my roof sliding on down and blanketing my windshield causing a instant zero visibility situation.

car in winter, snow and ice on the windscreen and hood, frozen glass wiper
Zigmunds Dizgalvis
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What I remember next is the car behind me leaning on the horn and screaming profanities at me as they passed (I had to stop in the middle of the street). I mean, that was a little much.

The point is, I literally could not see anything as I was traveling down a busy street BECAUSE, I didn't properly remove the snow from my car.

Is What I Did Illegal? No, but...

While no law on the books directly requires snow removal before operation of a vehicle, law enforcement officials can issue several citations to address it.

Officers can fine drivers $35 for improper removal of debris on a vehicle or $200 for driving with an unsecured load, such as a pile of snow or sheet of ice on a vehicle's roof. -masslive.com

Safely commuting in the snow means a lot more than just driving slowly.

LOOK: The most expensive weather and climate disasters in recent decades

Stacker ranked the most expensive climate disasters by the billions since 1980 by the total cost of all damages, adjusted for inflation, based on 2021 data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The list starts with Hurricane Sally, which caused $7.3 billion in damages in 2020, and ends with a devastating 2005 hurricane that caused $170 billion in damage and killed at least 1,833 people. Keep reading to discover the 50 of the most expensive climate disasters in recent decades in the U.S.

Gallery Credit: KATELYN LEBOFF

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