New Jersey residents are all too aware of how much snow and ice can build up during a typical East Coast winter. Driving on the state's roads can be treacherous after a heavy snowfall, and few of us relish shoveling out a driveway or buried car before we even get out on the road.

But besides being inconvenient, snow and ice can be dangerous, especially when it builds up on vehicles. That's why the state amended a law in October 2010 requiring all motorists to clear snow and ice from their cars before driving. If the precipitation is so heavy that it falls off the vehicle in motion, it can lead to accidents.

On Thursday, a woman who was seriously injured by snow and ice from another vehicle described the January 2011 accident in Sparta Municipal Court. She was driving to town hall one morning after a heavy snowfall in northern New Jersey when a box truck approached from the opposite direction. As the truck passed, she said she saw something flip off the truck. "It was a flash," the 53-year-old retired financial executive said. "I didn't know what it was."

That flash turned out to be a slab of snow and ice from the top of the plumbing truck. It slammed into the woman's car, shattering the windshield. Shards of glass and ice left serious cuts on her face and glass in her eyes.

The driver of the truck claimed not to realize what happened when he was issued a summons for failing to remove the snow and ice from his vehicle and has pleaded not guilty to the violation. On the first day of his non-jury trial this week, three police officers testified on behalf of the prosecution. A date hasn't yet been set for the defense to present its case.

The box truck driver's summons is just one of 3,645 issued to motorists since the law was amended. The fines for incidents that result in injury or damage range from $200 to $1,500. But that money doesn't account for the medical costs to people like the woman whose windshield shattered. She and others hurt by snow and ice on top of cars may choose to file a personal injury suit to compensate for other drivers' negligence.

Source: NJ.com, "N.J. drivers with snowy roofs hit with flurry of tickets since law's expansion," New Jersey Star-Ledger, Feb. 10, 2012