METUCHEN -- New Jersey is still digging out from a winter storm that flirted with snowfall records, but residents shouldn't forget an important part of that digging process, State Police say: cleaning off their cars.
Drivers can get dinged with $75 fines if they don't properly clean the snow off their cars, and state troopers will be on the lookout Monday.
"We are concerned about it, because of the refreeze that's expected from all the snowfall," State Police Sgt. 1st Class Gregory Williams said. "We are concerned about it, and we will be looking for it. Our concern is the safety of the motorists."
Monday's commute, with the potential for re-frozen snowmelt, will already be treacherous, with black ice a particular concern. Drivers who don't clean off their cars could make matters even worse -- by blocking their own views, or when pieces of snow and ice fly off into the path of other drivers.
"You can't see the other drivers on the roadway, so we just encourage everyone to clean their vehicles, clear the ice off their vehicles, off the headlights, off the tail lights, before they start driving," Williams said.
The $75 fines could reach from $200 to $1,000 if the flying ice and snow causes damages or injuries. The law was first passed in 2010.
State Police were called to 300 crashes over the snowy weekend.
Many drivers will be staying off the roads into Monday. School districts around the state called for snow days or delayed openings.
This morning, Patrolman Lopez conducted a motor vehicle stop on this vehicle. Although the driver believed it was ok to...
Posted by Howell Township Police 911 Communications on Monday, January 25, 2016
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