Nova Scotia woman fined for driving 'snowbank with four wheels' to car wash

A woman in Halifax was pulled over, fined $180 and told to clear the snow off her car Wednesday after police saw her driving what they describe as a 'snowbank with four wheels."

The 37-year-old, who has not been identified, told police she didn't bother to clear the entire windshield because "she was going to the car wash to get the snow off," says Halifax police Const. Dianne Woodworth. "But you have to get from where ever you are coming from to the car wash safely and if you can't, that's an issue."

Even though the view was obstructed, Woodsworth says the driver must have seen the sirens and knew she was being stopped. The officer charged the driver with driving a motor vehicle with an obstruction on the windshield – Section 184 (4) of the Nova Scotia Motor Vehicle Act.

The officer then made the woman clear the snow off the rest of the car. Woodworth says the woman didn't have a problem brushing off the car.

"If you are going to be driving you have to be able to see," says Woodworth. "Getting this ticket is better than her hitting someone or getting into an accident."

Woodworth has some advice for others who may be thinking of driving without brushing the snow first.

"Occasionally you'll see a vehicle that looks like a snowbank with four wheels," she says – if that is the case, you need to stop and clear the vehicle.

A similar incident occurred in Ontario on Tuesday. An 80-year-old man was pulled over by police for driving with a foot of snow on his car and only a small area to see through the windshield. The man told the officer he was weak and old and just running a few errands. The officer wrote the man a ticket for $110 and then helped him clear the snow off the car.

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