TORONTO -- Police and the Canadian Automobile Association are urging people to clear snow from their vehicles after a recent video showed a driver trying to complete the task while travelling on a busy highway.
Ontario Provincial Police Sgt. Kerry Schmidt says the video, which surfaced online earlier this week, highlights how dangerous it can be to leave home without first thoroughly clearing snow from a vehicle, including from the roof.
The video shows the driver of an SUV moving slowly in a live lane of highway traffic with the window down attempting to clear snow from the windshield with a brush.
Schmidt said it was possible that the snow, gathered in a thick white clump, had slid off the vehicle's roof onto the windshield.
He says the incident could have had tragic consequences and advises all drivers to safely pull off the road to clear a windshield.
Drivers can face a $110 fine under the Highway Traffic Act for failing to have a clear front and side view.
CAA national spokeswoman Kristine D'Arbelles says snow and ice can also be dangerous to other motorists if not removed before a driver gets behind the wheel.
"It could hit another driver's windshield and that can cause damage," she says.
The CAA has run past winter driving campaigns highlighting the dangers of not removing snow and ice from a vehicle, D'Arbelles says.
"You don't want to be the igloo on four wheels where you just have this tiny little circle that you can see out of," she said. "As we saw in this video, the snow can come off the roof and cover your windshield."
Schmidt says if officers see vehicles covered in snow on the road they will be stopped.
"It's just common sense," he says. "Drivers should take the time to clean off their vehicles. Not doing that, like the driver in this video, can lead to a very dangerous situation."
