Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
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Deanie Wimmer reporting This week's storms have us worrying about snow tires and road conditions. But, there's another part of the equation we often write off.
It's a driving hazard, that's easily prevented.
Most all of us have been guilty of trying to drive looking through the hole from the defrost, rather than really scraping off the car. It's not only illegal, but dangerous.
Some troopers helped us measure out what drivers miss, and why it's a problem for staying safe.
He's no slacker, Roy Vandermolen is not just meticulous about the windshield.
Roy Vandermolen: I do the lights, I do the hood, especially the hood, because if I don't do that the snow's going to blow right back onto the windshield. I do it that way all the time."
Obviously many others do not: Rushing to work, dropping off the carpool. Some let their wipers clear the snow. Others save time by doing half the job.
It's more than a nuisance factor, it really is a safety issue. Doing a courtesy clear off, something we might typically do in the morning, shows how limited your visibility is when you don't take the time to do it right.
"Can you see me now? No. One spot here where she can't see me."
UHP Sgt. Ted Tingey walks around the perimeter of the car. From the driver's seat, he's invisible much of the time.
"Over here can you see me? No. Ok, several bad areas of view."
He dropped cones where blind spots would leave me and other drivers vulnerable.
Sgt Ted Tingey, Utah Highway Patrol: “A lot of people don't realize the consequences, it blocks your vision, you're not aware of people in your blind spots while you're driving. Most people clear a little spot and think that'll get me by until the defrost kicks in."
Which is why most of us could take a lesson from Roy.
Roy Vandermolen:: “It takes more time to deal with an accident than to clear a windshield."
