Why NJ drivers shouldn’t clear all snow from roof immediately

It might not sound logical, but believe it or not, it is suggested that you initially leave some snow on your roof. It's not, however,t a free pass for drivers to be lazy.

First off, some snow versus all the snow are two completely different things. Not only is leaving all the snow on your roof dangerous, but it's also against the law.

In fact, New Jersey law states you must remove all ice and snow from your vehicle from the roof, hood, and windows. Failure to do so could result in a fine or more.

So before we take a look as to why you should initially leave some snow on your car roof, let's first address the drivers who don't bother removing anything. The drivers without a care in the world.

Snow on the car roof

As stated above, it's illegal to leave snow on the roof of your car in New Jersey. Doesn't matter if it snowed a lot or a little.

Now, is it impossible to clear it 100%? Sure. Especially if the roof is high up or has a roof rack.

But even then, there's absolutely no excuse not to clear it the best you can. If most of us in the state can manage, then you too can manage.

Ice on the roof

This one's even more dangerous than the snow. If an ice sheet comes flying off your vehicle, it can potentially cause a lot of damage.

Or worse, it may cause an accident for the vehicles behind you. The same is true with large volumes of snow on the roof.

But yet, some of you are too lazy and simply don't care. For those drivers who don't care about safety, do us a favor and stay off the roads when it snows.

Rest of vehicle

It's not just the roof some people don't care about. It's the entire vehicle.

We could have five inches of snow and the driver might only clear enough off of their windshield just so they could see where they're going. We've all seen it before.

And of course, the massive mountain sitting atop the roof. Accidents will happen, so please, don't be lazy and not make an attempt to clear it off. Again, it's the law in New Jersey for it to go.

Why leave some on the roof?

So if the law is to clear it all off, why is it suggested that you don't clear it off the roof completely? According to travelers.com, the reason is quite logical.

It has to do with how people clear their roofs. Most people may use items that may scratch the roof up. Once deep scratches are in place, water gets in and causes rust, thus causing more damage to the vehicle and potentially leading to leaks.

That's why it's suggested to leave just a very small amount of snow on the roof. By doing that, you don't make contact with the paint, and thus, you won't accidentally put a deep scratch into the roof.

Especially since people may have a hard time seeing exactly how the snow is being removed. They're just reaching up with a broom, a snow shovel, or something else trying to push that snow off.

Advice vs. Law

That advice contradicts New Jersey's law but also makes sense. This is why it's better to not immediately clear all the snow off your roof.

Remove as much as you can safely without scratching the surface of the roof. Afterward, use a soft brush and do your best to remove the rest.

Especially if you are one of those drivers who uses a snow shovel to remove large amounts of snow from the vehicle. Get as much off as possible without making contact with the vehicle itself first before switching to a brush that'll be more gentle to your car.

Despite the advice of leaving some snow up there, it's best to get your vehicle as close to snow-free as you can. Especially in a heavily traveled state like New Jersey.

No excuses

With that said, this is not a pass for all of you who are too lazy to remove the snow from your roof. Yes, it's very hard to remove all the snow at first, but you still need to make an effort.

If you can't, then you have two choices. Either get somebody to do it for you, or stay home and don't go anywhere. No excuses for your laziness.

As noted above, leaving very little on the roof isn't a bad thing, but it needs to be within reason to where it's acceptable. For the most part, you won't get into legal trouble with the law as long as the amount removed is deemed safe.

The above post reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 Sunday morning host Mike Brant. Any opinions expressed are his own.snow